We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

March 28

We had an extremely full day on Saturday and were on the go from morning until evening. After a full morning out and a quick lunch of leftovers at home, we headed to Heartlands so that Brayden could rehearse with the Worship Team. I love that he got to be a part of this with two of his brothers. Matt was setting up tables and chairs for a special worship service the next day, and I sat in the van with Auggie who was taking a nap. The little girls took part in worship rehearsal too…

We left from there to go to Keith’s soccer game. The wind almost blew us off the field, but we managed to survive, eating snacks to weigh us down.

We’d been running so much that day that we decided to have Pizza Hut that night. I ordered on my phone during Auggie’s van nap and Malachi picked it up so we could eat right away when we got home.

Big Family Food and Fun: March 29-April 4, 2026

Sunday morning, we ate a dish full of Breakfast Cookie Bars while we got ready for church.

Our worship time together looked a little bit different that morning – with everyone sitting around tables and chairs. Matt led us in a Seder Service to help us learn more about the Passover as we head into our Easter celebration.

Afterwards, lots of people helped put away tables and chairs, then we swept and mopped before putting all the chairs back in place. I grabbed a picture of the awesome mopping crew!

Keith is usually hard at play, but I caught him here, hard at work. I’m not sure who talked him into doing this sweeping job, but it sure was good to see him doing it. Notice that he hasn’t taken off his helmet for a good solid week, even at church. ;)

Thirty-one people gathered at our home for lunch that day. We had a fun buffet of BLT fixings with Bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese, roast beef, and turkey and lots of bread/bun options. I’d made a big bowl of Pineapple Fluff and friends brought potatoes and chips. It was a delicious, fun meal together!

Matt and I enjoyed Community Group time after lunch. Then we loaded up our kids and went to a park. We played for about an hour, then presented them with a bag full of picnic food options to choose from (cheese/crackers, pepperoni, fruit cups, clementines, apples, applesauce, avocado mash and chips, and protein balls).

We packed up the food, then Matt led everyone on an “adventure” through the trees at the back of the park. Our goal was to have fun and wear the kids out so they’d sleep well that night. It was, unfortunately, mostly not fun because so many of our kids struggle with impulse control and have no concept of safety when they see something they want to do. There were a few ledges that we discovered on our walk that could easily turn into kids falling down into the water – so our adventure turned into “keep all the kids from slipping off the ledge into the water and breaking a bone.” Meanwhile, another of our kids decided to defy everything I said in order to sabotage the outing. So this was all very…special.

They did all sleep well that night, so that was a plus. ;)

Monday morning, after we got the kids all settled in with therapy and school, I took off for the day. I had heard about a new discount store in town: Buresh Meats, and I wanted to go check it out. It was quite the drive from our house, so I won’t likely go very often. However, it was a neat store to experience. They had a lot of meat options I was interested in – but most of it was sold-out because I went the day after a weekend. So I learned to go later in the week, Thursday or Friday before the weekend rush.

Beyond meat, they had random items that had damaged boxes, which were highly discounted. I got some fun hydration drinks for the grown-ups in our house, some super cheap orange juice, graham crackers, and peanut butter crackers. There was a case of Corn Chex for ridiculously cheap, so I got some to put out in our Little Free Pantry. Then I got a 10-pound tube of hamburger meat for a pretty good price. It was a fun experience!

I drove to Panera, used my sip club subscription to get an iced herbal tea, and sat outside to work for a while.

Then I went across the street to shop and Sam’s. I found some great sales that day! Strawberries were just $2.97 for a two-pound container, so I got four!

After we got all of our groceries unloaded and put away at home, I made Strawberry Parfaits to go with our dinner before we picked up the kids from school. I had a container of Smothered Pork Chops in the freezer that I’d thawed all day while I was gone. It rewarmed quickly, plus I made a pan of Stick of Butter Rice and a pan of Green Beans. This meal was a 14 out of 14 and all bellies were full and happy that night. (I needed this encouragement because many of our meals are met with fights and turned-up noses. It was nice to have a more simple dinner time that night.)

Everyone spent a lot of time outside that evening. The grown-ups set up trash cans and challenged each other to throw a football into a basket onto a can. It was very entertaining.

Tuesday morning, I baked Spinach Cupcakes and Flourless Chocolate Banana Muffins to have on hand for snacks.

We had therapy all morning and Hopelyn came for the day. Acacia spent some time “reading” to her in the playroom.

I asked the girls to help me put drinks in our living room’s mini-fridge. They got the cart and took the job very seriously.

Auggie took the trash to recycling after the girls did their part…

That afternoon, I made Chicken Fried Steak that I’d prepped ahead and frozen a few weeks ago. I left it for Matt to finish up dinner and feed kids while Brayden, Kiya, and I were at our weekly Food Distribution.

On Wednesday mornings, Brayden has to get out the door by 6:35 for a 7:00 Choir practice. I usually warm up a Breakfast Sandwich for him to eat before he heads out. By then, Auggie is hanging with me and we start doing some baking since we have extra kitchen time. That morning, I made a batch of Crustless Cheesecakes so I would have a high protein option to go with my morning coffee for the next few mornings. Elias and Malorie had picked up some flowers at Trader Joes and put them in the kitchen for everyone to enjoy!

With the oven on, I also baked a pan of Stick of Butter Rice to go with our dinner that night. I had some black bananas and some squishy apples, so I made a batch of Apple Bread and Banana Bread. It felt good to fill the oven and make good use of its heat.

Matt went to York for the day to work on our rental property while I stayed back with the littles. Josie and Auggie had ABA therapy all morning. Acacia hung with them quite a bit and Arrow came for the morning. Before Malachi left for his office, he said yes to some book reading time. Arrow LOVES books.

For dinner that night, I used the rice I’d baked earlier in the day plus some hamburger meat I’d cooked and frozen a few weeks ago and put together a huge Tator Tot Casserole. I made another big batch of Strawberry Parfaits to go with it plus Green Beans and Corn. Matt and I got everyone fed, then we left the kids and their therapists with Elias, Malachi, and Malorie while we headed out for our date night.

I took exactly two picture on Thursday! I guess there wasn’t much out of the ordinary to highlight. :)

After his morning therapy, Auggie had a lively conversation with Hopelyn while they had bowls of granola. This was very sweet and he must have been doing stand up comedy because he had her belly laughing at times.

For dinner that night, we had a big breakfast buffet: French Toast, Sausage, Bacon, Hashbrowns, and Fruit.

The kids were out of school on Friday. We had reserved a free family pass offered by Autism Family Network so that we could go to the Bee Me Sensory Gym for the day. In preparation, I gathered food: apples, bananas, applesauce, grapes, muffins, and protein bars.

Our friend Christina had dropped off two pizzas leftover after an event the night before. So I cut the slices into very small pieces and warmed them up in the oven for our lunch later. I put them into insulated bags in hopes that they would still be warm in three hours.

Auggie and Josie still had ABA therapy that morning, and their behavior technicians were able to meet us at the gym. Asa, Eva, and Arrow met us there too, which was extra fun!

We ended up spending over four hours there in total. Around noon, we sat in our van to eat pizza (which wasn’t warm any more but oh well, I tried and the kids were too hungry to care).

Costco is right across the street from the gym, so before heading home, I left the kids in the van with Matt and some snacks so I could “just run in for a few final things for Easter.” Oh boy. Good Friday is a terrible day to go to Costco…

I’m not sure if you can see this line, but I’ve never seen it quite like this before. It stretched all the way from the front of the store to the back. Whoa. Everyone needed “a few last minute items for Easter” apparently. ;) Thankfully, the line moved pretty quickly and the kids had played so hard that they sat in the van eating and chilling with Matt. Phew!

Back at home, our evening ABA therapy started and I made a simple meal of Bacon Cheese Eggs with Banana Bread and Strawberries.

We had big plans to go to Omaha the next day. So I wrote everyone’s name on a bag and set out lots of snacks for them to choose from as they filled their bags. They also made a sandwich for their to-go lunch and we got those into the fridge to have ready for our trip.

Before the day ended, I made a big Cheesecake for our Easter dessert. It felt good to check that off my to-do list!

Saturday morning, I made two loaves of Stir-and-Pour Bread and a pan of Party Potatoes to have ready for Easter. We gathered all of our snack bags and sandwiches, water bottles, and a few extra snacks, diapers, and extra clothes. Then we headed out for the day! I’ll share more about our adventures next week!

The post Big Family Food and Fun: March 29-April 4, 2026 appeared first on Heavenly Homemakers.

Spoiler alert: Best decision I ever made.

Well, that and my decision to follow Jesus. Also, I chose very, very well when I married Matt. But third in line is this year’s decision to not have a grocery budget. I’m not even being dramatic at all.

(She is, in fact, being just a little bit dramatic.)

Remember how I wrote this post as I processed what I should do with the grocery spending line item in our budget? As I wrote all my thoughts, I suddenly realized, I don’t want to keep track any more!!! I don’t want to save all my receipts and do the math and then subtract out the toilet paper, diapers, and dish soap because those go under a different category. I don’t want to tally everything up at the end of the month. I don’t want to feel stress over where the bottom line is and where I’m at each month. I don’t want to think about it, care about it, or work on it any more.

I just want to buy food and feed my family and our people.

And so…I walked right out of Panera after writing that post and making that decision, and I went directly to Costco. I bought food (and toilet paper, diapers, and dish soap), and then I threw the receipt away – after I showed the guy at the door because one must show their receipt at the door if they hope to leave Costco.

It was so freeing!!

And it has felt like freedom ever since.

Am I suddenly spending ridiculously and frivolously now that I’m not keeping track?

Ok, do you even know me at all?

I am still shopping the sales. I am still only buying fresh produce in season when the price is right. I am still grabbing up all the meat markdowns. I am still sticking to my meat price-points. I am still focusing on frugal meals and saving money because I don’t know how not to and I really feel like it’s valuable to use our money as wisely as possible.

But here’s what else I’m doing:

• I’m giving myself freedom to enjoy my shopping time without overthinking
• I’m picking up little treats (like organic coffee mocha on clearance and cans of Poppi on sale) for Matt and me because we work incredibly hard every day and little treats bring us smiles in the midst of kids’ meltdowns
• I’m “ignoring” price tags while picking up a few more-than-normal individually packaged foods to try feeding our very picky autistic kids and for those with ARFID.
• I’m being more generous – to myself and to others. This feels GOOOOOOOOD.
• I’m ordering pizza about once a month instead of never. Hahaha, go me.

Am I spending much more than I used to spend when I kept a solid grocery budget?

Well, I guess I don’t know. Because I’m not keeping track! :) But I would say yes, I’m probably spending $100-200 more than I used to spend per month. It’s not enough to hurt our overall household budget and it’s also very much within reason so that I know I’m still being wise with the money we have.

It’s a huge effort to feed our household – one that I love and am honored to do! But because it’s such a big job, it has become a great blessing to take some pressure off of this effort so that I can enjoy it more and appreciate God’s provision instead of nickel and diming every expenditure.

Fun Fact: I have realized that it takes a solid three hours every single week to shop for our family. I usually need to hit two or three stores (Aldi, Wal-Mart, and Costco) or (Wal-Mart and Sam’s) to get everything we need. It takes another good hour to get everything unloaded from the van and put away once I’m home (with help from Matt and any kid who might be home/available/capable). So, four hours of work to feed our household – every week. That’s just the shopping – not the cooking and cleaning.

This isn’t a complaint; just stating a fact. It’s good work, and I’m here for it! But oh how nice is to make this good hard work just a bit “easier” by tossing the additional task of tracking all the pennies out the window. Phew!

Oh look. I splurged on prepared mashed potatoes because even though I can make ten pounds of them for less than half of what I spent on these ready-to-warm-up potatoes, I had just spent four entire hours buying groceries. No one has time or energy to make mashed potatoes after they have spent four hours buying potatoes.

Question: What are your “big splurges” – the things you might spend a little bit extra on so that you can save time, energy, and mental space during your full days?

Coming Soon: Big Ways I save Big on Groceries

Because after writing about how splurge-y I’ve gotten on ridiculous, expensive extravagance like prepared mashed potatoes and containers of ready-made guacamole, I decided to follow up with ways I’m still very frugal-y and save-y.

The post My 2026 NON-Grocery Budget Update appeared first on Heavenly Homemakers.

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

March 21

Saturday was extremely full! We started by taking the kids to Sensory Storytime that morning.

We set out turkey and ham sandwich fixings for lunch. Funny how we don’t have sandwiches very often, so when we do, it feels a bit like a treat.

After lunch, we picked up a friend then headed to Heartlands for a Kids Ministry event. Families gathered for instructions, then we all headed to Walmart in teams with grocery lists so that we could all purchase items to fill four Free Little Pantries in town.

Was it nuts in Wal-Mart with that many kids? Sure. But did they all love it and did they take ownership in picking out food from the list to share with others? Yes. So that makes it all worth it.

The event culminated in a trip to Zestos for ice cream!

Our family had just enough time to run home and reset, then load back up for Keith’s first soccer game of the season.

Elias, Malorie, and Malachi were able to hop in with us to cheer him on.

Back at home, we put hot sweaty kids into the bathtub, then had a refreshing dinner of Tuna Salad, Boiled Eggs, and chilled Fruit Cups. Phew, what a day!

Big Family Food and Fun: March 22-28, 2026

Before bed on Saturday night, I realized I didn’t have any Breakfast Cookie Bars made. Yikes. Thankfully, I found a loaf of Banana Bread and a loaf of Apple Bread in the freezer. So I pulled those out to thaw overnight for Sunday morning. The change was welcome for some of the kids and very unwelcome for others who really like routine. But we all survived and “choked down” our homemade sweet breads. :)

We didn’t host lunch that Sunday, and instead stayed after church where lunch was provided. I forgot to get a picture of the food spread, but it was beautiful and perfect for our crew: Sandwich fixings with a lovely variety of fruit and veggie options plus chips. All the kids ate pretty well! Then, everyone divided into groups and headed out to meet people in the neighborhoods close to Heartlands as we prepare for Easter.

That afternoon, we did some meal prep for the week. This was a sweet time with Malachi, Brayden, and Kiya as we were all working together on different projects. Malachi was experimenting with making his own White Chocolate Mocha – his favorite coffee shop drink. I got to try a sip when he was finished and it was DELICIOUS. Brayden and I were made a Egg and Hashbrown Casserole. Kiya helped me make a big batch of Breakfast Sandwiches.

Meanwhile, Keith and our neighbor friend were sharing outfits.

For dinner, I baked a bag full of Fish Sticks and served them with Sweet Peppers and Fruit.

On Monday morning, we baked Brayden’s Egg and Hashbrown Casserole for breakfast before school and therapy. I put a beef roast into the crock pot to cook for the day. Emma arrived, two ABA therapists arrived, four kids got out the door for school – then I took off for the day!

My first stop was Aldi were I got lots of apples, asparagus, salad kits, zucchini, brown sugar, sliced cheese, fries, and tator tots. I picked up some graham crackers for Keith’s classroom, plus a couple items for our Little Free Pantry.

I ran over to Marshall’s which was close by to see what I could find for Easter. Then I went to Wal-Mart to get some of our WIC items plus a box of eggs. I found some great markdowns on steak!

My last grocery stop was Costco where I got berries, bananas, milk, cheese/cracker packs, protein balls, cantaloupe, kiwi, 100% juice popsicles, and milk. I’ve been drinking Body Armor every day to help me stay hydrated and it seems to be helping me have fewer headaches. Finally done with shopping – I went to Panera to settle in with coffee and my computer so that I could write for a while! I had way too much fun finishing up this Proverbs 31 post. ;)

Back at home, the roast I’d started in the morning smelled super good. Matt and I got the groceries unloaded and put away, kids picked up from school, ABA therapy started for the night, and dinner prep finished. This kind of meal is one of my favorites: Roast with Carrots, Mashed Potatoes, and Strawberry Parfaits. This was a hit with everyone and there were very few leftovers after this meal!

Oh, and that Egg and Hashbrown Casserole I’d baked for breakfast? Two kids ate it while everyone else decided that they wanted oatmeal. I can never predict what they will eat. SO. That evening, I individually wrapped all the pieces of casserole, put them into a freezer bag, and we’ll put them out as needed for kids who want it for a quick breakfast on other days.

On Tuesday morning, I finally got around to making a big pan of Homemade Granola Bars. Having food like this on hand is a must for our kids!

I was on a roll, so I also made Nutella Oat Bars. By the time I got to these though, we had a lot of ABA therapy adults in our kitchen working with Josie and Auggie and talking to me about their needs. Therefore, I was less focused. So I ended up doubling part of this recipe and not doubling the other part. I really don’t know what I did. BUT, they still taste good so all is well.

Kiya and I are making a sewing project together as part of some in-home therapy we do. She and I sat by the window in our dining room so we could work by the natural light while the therapist worked in the same room with another kiddo.

Later in the morning, these two played a very lively round of air hockey. Ever seen a three-year-old and a five-year-old play air hockey? It’s very, very cute.

Hopelyn came for the day. She played peek-a-boo with Lolli behind the pantry curtain. :)

That afternoon, I took Brayden and Kiya to serve at our weekly Food Distribution. When we got home, we dug into the crock pot full of Chili I’d made that morning. Then Matt took them to Brayden’s band event while I stayed home with the other five and their ABA therapists.

At bedtime, these two brothers found my chair (the chair I’ve had since I was pregnant with Asa, rocked all our babies in, and can’t get rid of even though it’s broken).

I had a pretty early morning with kids on Wednesday, so I decided to take advantage of the early hour to start making several pans of bacon to get ready for Sunday Lunch.

We ate scrambled eggs that morning with strawberries – but I didn’t remember to take pictures of that. :) Instead, while the kids ate, I cut veggies (carrots, broccoli, zucchini, and asparagus) for Stir Fry that night.

I had picked up a wagon that was ridiculously cheap at Costco on Monday. Keith discovered it Wednesday morning and got ready for school super fast so he could pull it out of the box and put it together.

We spent most of the morning outside because it was sunny and beautiful that day. Arrow came over to join our fun!

We snacked on Apple Bread and fruit at the picnic table.

Acacia brought out a container of leftover Poptarts to munch on. Josie has been on a Bagel kick for several days in a row.

I put several packages of Chicken Thighs in a bag to marinate so I could smoke them for dinner. But did I smoke them for dinner? In fact, I started visiting with Malachi that afternoon and forgot all about the chicken. Maybe I was just getting ahead for Thursday? :)

With no chicken on the smoker, as Auggie and I walked to the school to pick up kids, my brain went into planning mode to figure out a Plan B for dinner. As soon as we got the kids home from school, I grabbed a package of tiny cut steak from the freezer and attempted to quickly thaw it in hot water to cook it in with our Stir Fry. It worked and this meal was delicious! I made a package of noodles and opened a jar of Alfredo Sauce, cut several Kiwi – and everyone found something from this meal that they liked. We adults and Brayden reallllllly loved the Steak Stir Fry!

Matt and I left the kids with the grown up kids that night and we headed out for our weekly date night, phew!

We usually try to spend our time away together just sitting or taking a walk and visiting. But this time, we decided to go to Costco to look for a new TV for our living room. The one we had was pretty small, which didn’t matter to us much. But now that we have a very large living room with ability to host people to come over and watch soccer or basketball games – we decided to invest in a bigger TV that would work better for gatherings like this.

So we spent most of our evening comparing TVs and deciding what to buy. We got it home and let Elias and Malachi take over unloading it and setting it up while we got kids to bed. But right out of the box they realized…it was cracked. UGH.

Matt and Malachi took it back and got a replacement on Thursday morning. There was a big Husker game to happen that evening and all the kids were coming over. The TV had to be in place. ;) Acacia loved watching Malachi make his special coffee that morning before he and Matt went back to Costco…

While Matt and Malachi were working on the TV, I was outside with the kids, including Hopelyn, who has a lovely time pushing toys down our long sidewalk.

Down the block, Auggie had discovered some construction workers demolishing a cement porch. Obviously, we all had to go cheer them on.

Meanwhile, TV #2 was not cracked and the guys worked to get it all set up so we could watch the game that night!

Did I forget that I had a meeting at noon? Indeed I did. But no matter. We were home and pretended we knew that our friends from Early Development Network had planned to come. ;) They did some assessments for Auggie as they rework his program now that he is a big three-year-old.

That afternoon, I smoked the chicken I’d marinated and had planned to smoke the day before. We had lots of fresh fruit plus a salad. I had chips and dip and some bbq smokies in crock pots to go with our game time, also.

Ah, the moment we’d all been waiting for! It was super fun to have almost all of our family and a few friends together that night (plus four ABA therapists who are used to our craziness by now).

We ended up losing the game, but it sure was great to be together! See that huge TV box behind Malachi? That box is the thing of Keith’s dreams (and the cause of a lot of fights between siblings). :)

Auggie had a dentist appointment on Friday morning after his ABA therapy. Poor kiddo has a lot stacked against him which gives him quite a bit of dental work that needs to be done. But he’s completely unaware, and here he is, eagerly running in to “my ‘pointment!”

Matt and I spent the afternoon together resting and visiting. I’m so thankful we have these moments built into our week so that we can stay connected beyond kid appointments and needs!

Dinner that night was very simple – Popcorn Chicken, Spinach or Carrots, and Macaroni Salad.

The girls were all eager to “help me” with some kitchen projects that evening. See? I told you I had “female servants.”

Among other things, we got a pan of Breakfast Cookie Bars made for the next two Sundays.

Saturday was a huge, full day! We went to Sensory Storytime at the library. Then we drove a couple of miles so I could run into my friend’s house to wish her a Happy Birthday.

THEN, we drove across town for a cool Easter Event that we’d heard about through Autism Family Network. This event was perfect for our family because it was geared specifically for kids with special needs. There were no flashing lights, no music, no bounce houses – just a calm environment with a few simple games. Each booth handed out calming toys and fidgets. We met other parents who have similar needs in their home. It was very encouraging!

My favorite part was that our friend Aubrey, who works with autistic kids, was there doing face paint. It was so perfect to see her there and our kids loved this!

My other favorite part is that there was a coffee truck, The Bean Box, and every kid got a free smoothie and every parent got a free coffee. This is a HUGE treat for us as we all enjoyed fancy drinks!! Shout out to Baxter Toyota for sponsoring this wonderful event!

We ran home after this to warm up leftovers for lunch, then we hopped back into the van to enjoy the rest of our day – which I will share next week!

The post Big Family Food and Fun: March 22-28, 2026 appeared first on Heavenly Homemakers.

Ah, the Proverbs 31 woman. She’s the one we’ve all been taught to aspire to be. But as I consider all the days that my trading isn’t profitable and see that I’ve failed again this week to sew fine linen garments, I am left to wonder: Am I still worth far more than rubies?

Perhaps we should consider this truth: Proverbs 31:10-31 was actually a mother’s wise advice to her son (Lemuel), encouraging him choose carefully when he decides who to marry. Hmm. How about we commend our husbands for doing just that – and henceforth take the pressure off of ourselves to select some literal wool and flax.

To be fair, I do love looking at the lives of women I’ve known in real life who truly are or have been remarkable. Their families do arise and call them blessed. That’s what I want in my life too. You, too, probably. But we don’t have to be perfect to achieve this. I think we just need to love well. To do the best we can, with the Holy Spirit as our guide. To give our lives fully to Jesus.

The REAL Proverbs 31 Woman

In a moment of silliness or – and not to sound dramatic or whatever – perhaps in my time of need as I sought therapeutic healing from decades of believing that godly womanhood is measured only by achieving perfection, I decided to re-write the twenty-one verses of this passage.

At this time, please hand your family peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made on store-bought bread. Then sit back and read this. May it be a breath of fresh air and a ray of hope as we look at our lives and see that we are actually quite remarkable women, you and me.

Proverbs 31:10-31 From NIV (New International Version) to LVV (Laura’s Vulnerable Version)

¹⁰A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.

Wait! I just found her. She is you! She is me! We are amazing! Rubies look good, but you and me? We look good WHILE we flip pancakes.

¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.

Her husband sees the mess in the house but doesn’t ask “what have you been doing all day?” because by golly he knows better. She wears her favorite sweatpants – the ones with the stretched out elastic – because they are the most valuable comfortable. Her husband thinks she looks cute in her sweatpants.

¹² She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.

She knows he is allergic to chocolate, so she makes snickerdoodles. She hides in the pantry to eat her hidden stash of chocolate because even if he can’t eat it, she can, and she’s a better wife and mom when she does.

¹³ She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.

She chooses clothes for her kids, knowing that wool is itchy and makes the kids whine, so she always looks for cotton shirts with no tags. She throws another load of laundry into the washer with eager hands because the contents of the dirty clothes basket smells like feet. She loses socks in the dryer. Some of them might have been made with a percentage of wool that she selected when she found a packages of socks on clearance.

¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.

She’s discovered the nearest Costco. Rotisserie chickens are five bucks there and she makes an entire meal around one bird. Sometimes she saves the bones to make broth but not always because she knows that her time is precious and she doesn’t always have time to chop onions and carrots in an effort to extract the gelatin from chicken bones for optimum nutrition.

¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.

Daylight savings time has messed with everyone’s sleep schedule, so she scrambles eggs for breakfast while everyone asks her why it is still very dark. She is teaching her top notch male and female servants her kids to load the dishwasher.

¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

She found a really good sale on a package of Mrs. Fields cookies. She considers…and buys it. Because they were discounted, she has money left over to buy grapes. They came from a vineyard somewhere. Probably California.

¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.

She decides to clean out the junk drawer! She sets about this work with vigor. Her arms are strong until they get tired from scrubbing the goo off the inside of the drawer. She’s had to start the task over three times because her toddler wants to “help.” She finally gives up and throws everything back in, but she feels good because from the drawer she has eliminated three broken birthday candles and the small tires that fell off a Hot Wheel two years ago.

¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.

She trades alone time to intentionally smile and nod when her kid goes into extra long detail about a dream they had last night. At bedtime, she falls asleep with the lamp on. Girl is tired.

¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

She asks Siri what a distaff is. She learns that this goes with the wool and flax that apparently she’s supposed to be spinning into something useful while she grasps the spindle with her fingers. She decides to finally sew the missing button onto a jacket and wonders why it took her so long to get around to that five-minute task. She looks again at the definition of distaff and learns that distaff also refers to the maternal side of the family. She is, in fact, the maternal side of her family. Indeed, simply because of her female status, she holds the distaff. Easiest thing she’s done all day.

²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.

Her kids bring home friends and she feeds them all the cheese and crackers and then cuts up an entire bag of apples because apparently it has been two whole hours since they’ve last eaten and they are practically starved. To help all of the said starved kids learn what hunger actually is, she puts together a box of food for a family she heard is in need and she takes her kids with her to deliver it so that they learn to serve too. She hugs people who are hurting and welcomes those who struggle. She, herself, has had times of struggle and is so thankful for those who have shared what they had with her during those times. She does the same now for others and reaches out to others for help on her hard days.

²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

Somewhere in her basement is a tote full of snowsuits, gloves, and hats. None of them are scarlet, except for that one that has bright red blood stains from last year’s sledding incident. She’s ready to make hot cocoa and craft projects, and she knows where her mop is so that she can use it after the kids realize that snow is cold and they don’t actually like to be outside in it. She has no fear for her household but she does feel a little bit of fear for herself because snow days are long and after everything she’s done already to help her kids enjoy the snow, it’s somehow still only 10am.

²² She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

Yay, she washed the sheets!! Her purple hoodie is super cute and it is worn to cover the linen shirt that has grease splatter stains. Who are we kidding? Linen has to be hand-washed. She owns no linen. But if she did, it would have grease splatter stains.

²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

Well now. How very nice that while she spins her wool and flax, he gets to simply sit at a gate – and he is respected for it. Look how he sits, they say. He is a very, very good sitter.

²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.

Some women make cool things and sell them at craft fairs and farmer’s markets. She is sure to always has a case of wet wipes at the ready as she uses them with abandon for everything from mud to sticky raisins and smeared snot. She shares her supply with other parents at soccer games and at library story hour.

²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.

Linen is a no for her. But strength and dignity? You bet. She remembers that she is slouching so she stands up straight because she is clothed in strength. She knows her worth. She sees her dirty dishes and realizes that they resemble mac and cheese and happy, full bellies. She looks at the calendar and sees that the days to come are filled with a lot of appointments. It makes her laugh and laugh. Oh, those silly days to come. They are hilarious.

²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She deletes the text she is about to send because she knows better than to be petty. She reminds her kids that Jesus loves them and that because of this love, we can be loving and that’s why we don’t hit or push or say mean words. She bites her tongue when her kid does the thing that she’s taught him not to do eleventy-million times. She smiles through gritted teeth and asks him, again, to please chew with his mouth closed. She deletes another petty text.

²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.

She looks around and realizes that the baby’s diaper is on the floor and wait. Where is the baby and why is he naked? She barely has time to eat and bread makes her gassy. Yes, even sourdough.

²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:

Her children arise and call for breakfast;
her husband also, and he very much appreciates the fresh pot of coffee she made to go with the banana bread.

²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”

It’s true! You do such great things! And it’s not a competition, but if it was, you definitely surpass the women doing things less noble than you.

³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Her sassiness has real appeal in the right setting but she can’t always fall back on that. She can’t remember the last time she washed her hair. Her love for God and care others really shines though, and that’s what matters.

³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Her husband takes a break from sitting at the gate to eat a sandwich that he made for himself with his wife’s delicious leftover roast beef. The sandwich tastes wonderful so he tells the other elders about its flavor. They give him a high five and ask for her recipe.

Turn the page after Proverbs 31:31 and you’ll find Ecclesiastes 1

Meaningless, meaningless. Utterly meaningless. Everything is meaningless.

I won’t re-write that one. It speaks for itself.

Be blessed, my friends.

You are awesome, just as you are! Keep seeking Jesus in everything you do.

May your freezer always be stocked with chicken strips for the days you don’t have time to cook. May your own personal water bottle be left alone so that you do not have to deal with backwash. And may you always remember to switch the laundry from the washer to the dryer before it turns sour.

The post Introducing: The REAL Proverbs 31 Woman appeared first on Heavenly Homemakers.

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

March 14

We had a very full day on Saturday, starting with Sensory Storytime at the library. Justus, Kelsey, and Hopelyn met us there!

When we got home, Keith helped me make some Monster Cookies with some M&Ms someone had given us. I planned to serve these for Sunday Lunch the next day.

We ate leftovers for an early lunch, then we got our house ready to host a Pie Party because it was Pi Day (March 14, 3.14…Pi Day.)

We had invited neighbors and everyone brought a pie to share!

We filled our dining room with people who live close by and have become our friends. This was a wonderful time of visiting, and no one minded eating pie!

Later that afternoon, we loaded up the kids to run around and get more energy out. Overall, our Spring Break had held some very positive pieces. But we had also had some pretty intense behavior needs to deal with because of the lack of normal routine and some trauma triggers for the kids. Matt and I were feeling pretty weary from parenting difficulties at this point in the week, and this outing seemed to be the right solution. Keith had been begging to go to a “real football field” and Matt found one online that promised to be “open to the public.”

When we arrived, the real football field was not, in fact, open to the public. All the gates were locked – BUT – right across the street was some open grass area and a baseball field. We took advantage of this and Keith decided it was good enough. Phew. Some of the other kids decided to throw fits again because they didn’t want to be there. I’d had enough and chose not to give them the negative attention they were asking for. I simply started to take a long (needed) walk around the outside of the field. Soon, the three little girls joined me, and soon after that, all the kids started to play happily.

Matt had brought our Frisbee Golf gear that we had stashed in our storage room, which was extra fun for Keith and Bonus Buddy.

We made it home in time for dinner, which was Hotdogs that had been cooking in a small crock pot plus Cantaloupe and Chips. Then it was bath and bedtime!

Big Family Food and Fun: March 15-21, 2026

Sunday morning, we ate Breakfast Cookie Bars as we got ready for church.

Hopelyn had turned two a few days prior and we took a little gift to her at church that morning.

We hosted a sweet crew of 29 of us for lunch at our house that day.

We enjoyed a delicious Chipotle-Style Burrito Bar with Salsa Chicken, Seasoned Chopped Steak, Stick of Butter Rice, Queso, Beans, Lettuce, Cheese, Salsa, and Avocado. Friends brought Fruit and Broccoli Bacon Salad to round out the meal.

We had Frozen Pizza for dinner as we reset our kitchen and home for the beginning of a new week.

Kiya has been wanting to learn to sew and I had ordered a simple embroidery kit for us to do together. Behaviors had settled a bit, so we were able to sit down and learn to “back stitch.” She did great!

I had prepped an Egg, Sausage, and Hashbrown Casserole on Sunday evening. I baked it while I had my early morning God time on Monday morning.

While the kids were eating, I made a Smoothie and baked a batch of Crustless Cheesecakes.

We got the kids settled in with ABA therapy or school – then I headed out for the day. My first stop was Aldi, where I got a lot of good deals but forgot to take a picture. Then I went to Walmart, where I didn’t find a lot of good deals, but I did score BIG on Corned Beef Briskets that were being marked down just as I was walking by! They went from $6.28/pound to just $1.99/pound! So I grabbed a cart full of briskets for around $5 each. :)

My last shopping stop was Costco where I got lots of fresh produce, chicken broth, milk, cream, chocolate chips, frozen pizza, snacks, and look at this huge pile of kids’ clothes! Those were all clearanced out at $3.00 per set. Amazing!

I spent the next two hours sitting at Panera writing with a cup of coffee. It was glorious.

Back at home, we unloaded and put away all the groceries – a huge job! Then it was go-time again with kids and therapies. I had used the last of our Chipotle Steak from Sunday’s lunch to make a Steak and Cheesy Potato Casserole, which cooked in the crock pot all day. We had a couple of salad kits that had expired, so I used the packets of add-ins from each kit and some fresh spinach to make salads to go with our casserole.

Tuesday morning was ROUGH with some kids super dysregulated as we tried to get ready for school and therapies. I was in tears by the time our Christian therapist showed up to work with us, which actually was very good timing so that she could see more of the reality that goes on at our house. She took over with the struggling kiddo while I took Anna to do our attachment work. We shared a sparkling water (two straws, hehe) and put a puzzle together. Is this little girl beautiful or what?

Meanwhile, in the living room…

Josie is still getting to know her behavior technician for ABA so they were reading books with Acacia looking on too. Matt had Auggie and Hopelyn engaged in building mega blocks and my body had finally calmed down after the tough morning. With so many kids to help stay regulated, guess who else gets dysregulated? This mama. Phew.

That afternoon, I took Brayden and Kiya to serve at our weekly Food Distribution.

We arrived back home to this scene – a slinky stretched between Matt and one of our ABA techs, the kids jumping over it without getting caught by the “snake” and don’t look now, but I think there was another kid under that big box.

Dinner was as simple as can be. I had slow cooked one of the Beef Briskets that I’d picked up marked down the day before. It was so tender that it cut like butter and all the kids enjoyed it! We ate it with green beans and toasted hoagies.

On Wednesday morning, I baked batches of Flourless Banana Chocolate Blender Muffins and Spinach Cupcakes.

Arrow came for the day and Matt went to York for the day to do some work on our rental property. Josie and Auggie had ABA therapy all morning so Acacia got to spend special time with Arrow. The two of them grocery shopped in our pantry – so cute!

We spent several hours outside because it was sunny and beautiful!

It was definitely picnic weather!

For dinner that night, I baked a Meatloaf that I’d found in the freezer. I had picked up several boxes of Scalloped Potatoes at Aldi that had been marked down super cheap so I made those with our Meatloaf. They were only so-so and definitely tasted processed. What did I expect? Ha. We had steamed peas and grapes to make up for it. :)

It was our date night, so we left our younger kids behind with therapists and older kids. Matt and I took advantage the beautiful weather and spent our time walking around Holmes Lake.

Hopelyn joined us Thursday morning. We were able to be outside almost all day, enjoying wonderful sunshine!

When Kelsey came to pick her up that afternoon, she stuck around for a while helping with kids and helping me make a big batch of Poptarts. Instead of making dough from scratch, I used some pie crust I had in the freezer. This made this come together pretty quickly!

I took advantage of the great weather and smoked Chicken Legs for dinner. Kiya made Caesar Salad to go with our chicken, plus I set out the rest of yesterday’s Spinach Cupcakes for people to grab to round out their meal. This chicken tastes so incredibly good and is very inexpensive!

Kelsey and Hopelyn stayed and had dinner with us while Justus was at worship rehearsal. We had three ABA sessions going on and a major meltdown that lasted four hours. Bed felt good that night.

We ate our Poptarts with milk on Friday morning before school and ABA therapy. Matt and I were triple booked that morning with meetings and appointments. So Malachi was sweet to take Acacia to her Speech and Physical Therapies. Acacia was incredibly excited to get to ride in Malachi’s car and to introduce him to her therapists. Matt stayed home with the ABA kiddos while I headed to school for an important meeting for one of our kids.

Just after lunch and sending Acacia and Josie off on the preschool bus, we loaded up Auggie and went to Asa and Eva’s new house!! They’d had an incredibly full few weeks packing and selling their former house and closing on their new house. We are so excited for them! Justus met us there with Hopelyn so I could take her back to our house for a nap while he helped unload the truck. Matt stayed behind to help also, with Malachi bringing him back home later.

The timing worked out for Auggie and Hopelyn to simply fall asleep on the way home for naptime. Here’s how that went…

They did eventually take naps at the house, and their belly laughs on the way there were priceless.

Dinner that night was a very easy meal of Chicken, Fries, Oranges, and Pickles.

When the adults of our home gather in the kitchen to chat, it’s my favorite.

Saturday was a super full day, so I’ll add those pictures to next week’s post!

The post Big Family Food and Fun: March 15-21, 2026 appeared first on Heavenly Homemakers.

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

March 7

Saturday afternoon, we enjoyed lots of outdoor time in our yard. Keith became a Husker football player with Kiya and Acacia doing a few cheer routines during his time outs. :)

Anna asked if she could braid my hair. Then she took a picture to show me her work. Look at this! Our six-year-old can braid!

That night for dinner, I used leftover taco meat to make Quesadillas, which we ate with sliced oranges and carrots.

Several of the kids were struggling to stay emotionally regulated, so we got out our sensory socks to see if they would help. Keith wore his to mop the kitchen, which is tough to do with no hands, but somehow he made it work.

Inspired by some friends who had recently shared with us that they’d done a prayer walk through their house, we gathered our kids and did the same that night. We had to keep each prayer brief so the kids could stay somewhat focused and not scatter. But we prayed together for God’s light to shine through each room in our home and in our lives.

As much as we’d love for God to give our kids “instant healing,” we know that He is faithful even while we pray and have to turn right around and deal with another meltdown. Our prayer walk through the house was effective, though, in bringing relief and a smile to Matt and me. We needed this time of prayer with our kids and a reminder that we aren’t parenting alone but through the power of Jesus.

Big Family Food and Fun: March 8-14, 2026

On Sunday morning, I didn’t feel like I’d lost an hour of sleep thanks to Daylight Savings – but rather I lost an hour of being able to get everyone and everything ready for a big church day! We hurriedly ate a plate of Breakfast Cookie Bars, prepped lunch, fixed little girls’ hair, etcetera, etcetera. Somehow we made it to church…early. It’s a miracle.

Kelsey snuck this photo of Hopelyn playing on my lap that morning during the sermon. I love this!!

A precious crowd of 25 gathered for lunch at our house that day.

I had made a roaster full of Smothered Pork Chops and a triple batch of Stick of Butter Rice. Christy brought a fun “Salad Bar” and Christina brought all kinds of fun veggies: Sweet Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, and Broccoli. Those didn’t make it into the picture because I snapped it too soon before their family arrived.

We had a most lovely Community Group time that afternoon. Then we spent the late afternoon and evening outside playing. I made a quick dinner of Chicken Salad with crackers, grapes, mandarins, and pickles. We let the kids eat outside because when the weather is perfect, why would we sit in the dining room??

We had big plans to go to the Omaha Zoo on Monday to kick off our spring break. So I wrote names on seven bags and set out lots of fruit and snacks. The kids got to fill their “snack bag” for the zoo, which turned out to be the most exciting activity!

We made Tortilla Wraps for our zoo lunch, plus I gathered extras like peanut butter pretzels, fruit/veggie pouches, and apples. We’d be gone for the entire day and I’ve learned that I can never pack too much food.

On Monday morning, Kiya helped me make a loaf of bread worth of Uncrustables. We didn’t know how long we’d last in Omaha, but in case we were able to extend our time there into the evening, I’d have the Uncrustables on hand for dinner.

We arrived at the zoo right at opening time – along with half of the city of Omaha. Everyone was taking advantage of Spring Break and beautiful weather! Eva and Arrow plus some of the Case family joined us. Here’s our party of 14!

Our first stop was the jungle. I grabbed Arrow for some squeezes and to free up Eva’s arms. But, every time I tried to give Eva a baby-holding break, Auggie took advantage of the situation and wanted Eva to hold him. So basically she traded a lighter weight baby for a heavier one, ha. No complaints from Eva though!

The jungle had lots of cool waterfalls and birds. While I was holding Arrow, Josie needed a lift to see over the fence. Eva surprised me with this photo of me getting an arm workout. This is the best form of exercise. :)

We walked through the zoo’s amazing aquarium next. These girls had to get a picture with the jelly fish. What fascinating creatures!

Snacks were no longer doing the trick, so we had a lunch break after the aquarium.

There are so many cool animals at the Omaha zoo, though I didn’t personally feel like I’d seen many of them at that point. Chasing kids through a packed zoo and trying to keep everyone together is quite a feat. We are thankful friends were there to help wrangle everyone.

Here we are in the famous Desert Dome!

A favorite for all of us was our trek after the desert to see the Sea Lions. I got zero pictures of this because we were taking it all in. Watching them swim was so, so peaceful!

Once we’d gotten through all of the special featured buildings, we walked around outside to enjoy lions, tigers, zebras, and elephants. These spaces were less crowded and more enjoyable for me, though it was was a lot of walking for the kids.

The elephants were our last stop and they were so cool to watch!

We’d been at the zoo from 10am-5pm, phew! These kids were troopers!

Our ride home was full of adventure as it involved several meltdowns and a barf bag for a car sick kiddo. Poor thing. Back at home, two exhausted parents were so glad that Malachi was home and happy to see his siblings. Matt rested, I did dishes (which is surprisingly restful compared to wrangling kids through the Omaha Zoo), and Malachi played soccer in the living room with his sisters. It was the sweetest.

Malachi hung in there with the kids for us while we made it through the evening. He had them all belly laughing at a silly video he found. :) Everyone slept great that night!

Tuesday morning, we made Eggs in a Nest. Emma came over to help, and two of our kids had attachment therapy with Mom. Then I took advantage of Emma being here to run out and grab a few groceries.

At Aldi, I got lots of fruits and veggies – spring mix, Caesar salad kits, strawberries, grapes, bananas, cantaloupe, and pear cups. I got some special yogurts for the kids as we enjoy Spring Break, plus regular whole milk yogurt, milk, half and half, crackers, and cliff bars. I scanned the meat section for 50% off stickers and found some ground beef and chicken!

I didn’t need much at Wal-Mart but it’s very close to Aldi and I had time. So I went to look for yellow stickers on meat. I found some very good deals on beef!! Beef is quite a bit more expensive than chicken and pork, so even the markdowns are still typically on the higher side. But these were very good prices for what they are: cubed steak and chopped steak.

I went home and cooked/seasoned the chopped steak right away to freeze for Sunday Lunch. This will make the most delicious Chipotle-style Burrito Bar!

I dug out some Hair Chalk for the kids to enjoy that afternoon. This was a chaotic mess – but did they have fun? Yes they did. :)

I had meant to get some Salsa Chicken started in the crock pot that morning but never got around to it. So I threw the chicken on the stove with salsa around 1:00 to get it cooked faster. Then I made a huge batch of Chicken Burritos. I had them planned for our dinner that night plus a little 3rd grade friend from church had loved them when I took them to her family after her mom’s surgery. “When can I have more of Laura’s burritos?” she asked her mom. Well, girl. I’ll bring you some more. :)

As I was finishing all the Burritos, Eva and Arrow came to hang out. Eva immediately started to wash my sink full of dishes – so sweet. Arrow spotted the kids playing outside and kept pointing and saying their names. “Bayden! Bayden!”

I took Bayden – I mean Brayden and Kiya to our weekly Food Distribution. Then we came home to many of the Chicken Burritos already gone – and we helped ourselves.

Keith and Auggie had ABA therapy all evening. All of our kids’ therapists/technicians are becoming a part of our family now. When Auggie had a question, Keith’s technician looked up the answer on his phone to show Auggie. It was so sweet.

Wednesday was a ridiculously full day! We had plans to get two of our rooms ready to host families who were traveling to this area for a Homeschool Speech Meet. And we had a big day planned with our Heartlands Youth Ministry to come for the afternoon to build a permanent Little Free Pantry. So we started off our day getting food ready (while sheets and blankets were working their way through the laundry to prep for guests).

Auggie helped me make Spinach Cupcakes.

While the Spinach Cupcakes were baking, I made Rice Krispie Treats for lunch dessert and Peanut Butter Honey Rice Krispie Bars for guests who were coming who needed to eat gluten and dairy free.

At 8:30, Josie began ABA therapy with her new behavior technician.

I did not need this extra job that morning – but I’d picked up 9 packages of cube steak on sale the day before and I needed to get it taken care of and frozen. So, I made a huge mess and prepped 11-pounds of Chicken Fried Steak for the freezer. I haven’t made these for YEARS! But when you find cube steak marked down…

I had made a huge Lasagna the week before so it baked all morning to get ready for our youth group lunch. Kiya helped put Caesar Salad together.

Right on time, the youth group arrived and started through the lunch line: Lasagna, Salad, and Grapes plus lots of desserts!

After they ate, everyone headed outside with one group digging a deep hole and another putting together the pantry structure.

These youth worked hard!! Of course our kids were right in the middle of it all day, with Keith LOVING every part of digging and building!

It was a little bit chilly that day so the girls helped me make a big pot of Hot Cocoa to take outside for everyone during the afternoon.

Three and a half hours later, our sweet Little Free Pantry was finished! When we first set out our tote and refrigerator back in November, we weren’t sure how our neighborhood would respond. But wow has it been awesome to see the community come together! Lots of people walk or drive by to help themselves to food they need. Meanwhile others have stopped by regularly to fill the tote/fridge/cooler with food. It’s been incredible to watch and be a part of. Thus, the permanent pantry!

As we moved into the evening, I packaged up some Lasagna and Green Beans. Then Matt and two of our girls loaded up and drove it to a nearby hospital to deliver to York friends who were there with a loved one after a surgery. We are so thankful to live in Lincoln close to two hospitals so we can help friends who are here from out of town.

For dinner that night, I fried some of the Chicken Fried Steak I’d prepped earlier in the day, plus made Mashed Potatoes that the kids had helped me get into the crock pot that morning, and made Peas and Gravy.

Our guests arrived and we got them settled into their rooms. Here’s a sweet shot of Keith and Anna making themselves at home with our new friend from Colorado. She was gracious to sit patiently with Keith to show him how to work our rubix cube.

We had a much less full day on Thursday. Our Bonus Buddy got dropped off to spend a few days with us so that was very exciting! Kelsey and Hopelyn came over for a couple of hours that morning. Kelsey played Ticket to Ride Junior with the kids…

After Josie’s ABA therapy session and an early lunch, we took the kids to play in the indoor play area at the zoo. It’s pretty nice living five minutes from our local zoo and having a membership that allows us to go at any time!

Dinner was a very fancy pot full of five boxes of Mac and Cheese. We had ABA that night plus Matt and I needed to have a sit down visit with the kids’ therapist. This is part of the ABA process – having parent trainings so that we can all be on the same page and follow through with the programs in place for the kids’ therapies.

On Friday morning, I lost track of Keith and Bonus Buddy when we had a visit from these Twin Vaders. Keith and Bonus Buddy showed up again soon after I took this picture. :)

I started a crock pot of Salsa Chicken for our Sunday Lunch. Later in the day I shredded it and stored it away to reheat on Sunday.

Matt took Acacia to Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy that morning. Eva and Arrow came over to help me with the other seven kids. Anna, who absolutely hates having her hair brushed, asked Eva if she “knew how to fix hair.” Haha. Eva happily took Anna’s rat nest and turned it into piggy tails. Anna was so proud! And I’m going to need Eva to come over every day to do this child’s hair… ;)

The morning was nuts cooped up inside the house. Finally the sun came out and we were warm enough to head outside to get ants out of our pants. Arrow is surrounded by little mommies when he comes over….

Kiya and I were able to play a bit of volleyball. Keith and Bonus Buddy played frisbee golf. Auggie played some soccer. Brayden made a couple of swords with sticks. I panicked at one point, realizing I hadn’t seen Acacia for a while. (I’m constantly counting heads to keep track of so many kids.) Kiya reminded me that Acacia was with Dad at therapy. Hahaha, oh yeah. Let’s not even talk about how earlier3 I was holding Arrow while walking around and then got scared because I didn’t know where Arrow was. Good grief. Right there on my hip. :)

Brayden was excited to make his favorite lunch for us: Orange Chicken. I steamed some broccoli to go with it.

Dinner that night was Burgers and Fries.

Then the older two kids helped me make pies. We had big plans to host a Pie Party for neighbors the next day. Saturday was Pi Day, after all. March 14. Get it? Pi Day? 3.14.

I’d baked some frozen pie crusts earlier in the day. Kiya used one and made Chocolate Fudge Pie almost entirely by herself.

Then Brayden helped me make an Oreo Cheesecake Pie. We used this cheesecake recipe and blended oreos into it.

Pies complete! Bring on Pi Day!

Saturday morning, we took the kids to Sensory Friendly Storytime at the library. Afterward, we came home and ate leftovers for lunch then got the house set up for our Pie Party. I wasn’t able to work more that day, so I’ll share more about these adventures in next week’s post!

The post Big Family Food and Fun: March 8-14, 2026 appeared first on Heavenly Homemakers.

This delicious idea came about thanks to a great pork chop deal I got at Aldi recently. We prefer beef or chicken, but when the pork chops are originally only $3.29/pound, then they are marked down half-price, making them just $1.65/pound?? YOU BUY THEM ALL. Lookie there, bottom right. Four big packs of pork chops, filled with 12-16 chops each, marked down to only $4.00 per package. Crazy amazing!

So there I was with four big packs of super cheap pork chops. What’s a girl to do?

First, this girl did an online search for how to make Smothered Pork Chops in the crock pot – because that seemed like the easiest way to cook the chops. But wheat did your girl find?

Lots of ways to make Smothered Pork Chops with lots of Cream-of-Something soup.

Oh man. I don’t like cream-of-something soups.

Nor do I have much extra time on my hands to create recipes any more. But marked down meat calls for fast action (either freeze it or cook it asap, please, because it’s marked down due to it’s sell-by date). So I got a bit creative and wow are we happy that I did. Get yourself some pork chops and make these delightful chops. Your whole family will thank you!

This recipe seems “involved” but I promise it’s easy. I also promise that it’s worth the “effort” it takes to make the delightful gravy you will pour over your chops in the crock pot. If my kids gobble these up and ask for more – I think it’s safe to say that this recipe is a winner!

Real Food Smothered Pork Chops in the Crock Pot

Real Food Smothered Pork Chops in the Crock Pot

 

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Author: Laura

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 6-8 thin cut pork chops
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1-2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1-2 teaspoons garlic powder, fresh garlic, or however you garlic your food
• Sea salt to taste
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 3-4 Tablespoons flour
• 3ish cups milk or half-and half
• 8-ounces cream cheese

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, lightly sear pork chops in olive oil, seasoning with onion powder, garlic, and salt.
2. Do not cook thoroughly - only cook both sides of chops for a minute or two each.
3. Place chops in a crock pot.
4. Add butter to the seasoned oil in the skillet, stirring until melted.
5. Add flour to make a paste, then add milk or half and half to make gravy.
6. Stir constantly until thickened, adding more milk as needed.
7. Add cream cheese and stir until melted.
8. Pour gravy over the pork chops in the crock pot.
9. Cook on low for 4 hours until pork chops are falling apart.

3.5.3251

We found that these Smothered Pork Chops tasted amazing over Stick of Butter Rice.

Watch for those meat markdowns – it’s a huge money saver!

The post Real Food Smothered Pork Chops in the Crock Pot appeared first on Heavenly Homemakers.

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

February 28

We’d gone to a Husker Women’s Basketball game Saturday afternoon, and came home hungry. We warmed up leftovers for dinner plus I sliced some oranges for everyone.

We did some cleaning to get ready for a new week. Daddy had to take apart the vacuum to clean out all the long hairs that had wrapped around it. How about that? We have a LOT of long hair in our house now. :)

Big Family Food and Fun: March 1-7, 2026

We ate a plate full of Breakfast Cookie Bars as we got ready for church on Sunday morning. I had been feeling pretty worn out from several weeks of sickness traveling through the house plus all the new therapies we’d started. But we didn’t want to cancel Sunday Lunch because it’s such a fulfilling time for us. So we decided to take advantage of a pizza deal we found online. Families who joined us pitched in on the cost and we had a super chill, restful Sunday Lunch.

The girls set up a small table with a picnic in the hallway that afternoon. This is both very sweet and also slightly rebellious because they aren’t allowed to eat outside the dining room or kitchen. ;)

Matt and I enjoyed Community Group time that afternoon. For dinner, we ate our way through a crock pot full of Ham and Potato Soup that I’d made that morning. It was so nice to be able to feed all of us that evening without doing any work! This soup is so easy!

The kids set up a stage in the living room and rehearsed a play and with some music. Here’s Brayden directing Jesus Loves Me while the three littlest kids magically cooperated. It was VERY SWEET.

As the kids played, I made a big batch of Chewy Granola Bars for the upcoming week.

On Monday morning, we finished last week’s Easy Chocolate Protein Mousse leftovers with our Eggs in a Nest breakfast.

Emma came that morning to help out, plus we had ABA therapists join the crew – all at 8:00. That’s a pretty crazy time of our day as we get school kids ready and out the door and other kids ready for therapies. I always feel a bit frazzled as we transition here, but everyone is so gracious. Who cares if I’m still in my pajamas when people show up to our house because there hasn’t been a moment yet to head upstairs to get myself ready for the day? Oy.

With four kids headed to school and the other three settled in with therapy and Emma, I (dressed myself, aren’t you proud? and) headed out for the day. My first stop was Aldi, and I got lots of tasty fruits and meats was on sale!

Eight pounds of strawberries? Yep, when they are that good and that good of a price!

After that, I spent a lovely couple of hours at Panera sipping coffee and writing. Then I went to Costco before heading home. My goal was to get some special foods for our Spring Break outings next week! Plus I also needed the basics: greens, milk, bananas, broccoli, sausage, and more fruit. :)

Knowing I’d be gone for several hours that day, I had thawed two packages of Ham and Cheese Sliders to bake for dinner. I warmed up Tomato Soup to go with them. And of course, we had to eat those strawberries I’d bought! I cut up 4-pounds of them plus made a double batch of Cheesecake Parfait. Everyone was excited about this and it all got eaten before bedtime. :)

Our Tuesday morning was extremely full with our regular ABA therapies starting at 8, plus attachment therapy we’re doing now for two of our kids starting at 9. At the same time, I had two IEP meetings to go to at the kids’ school and a 504 meeting to work toward. Malachi helped Matt juggle everything at home while I took care of all the school meetings.

Back at home finally at 11:15, we got the girls ready for the school bus at noon. Hopelyn was here for the day and she and Auggie enjoyed playing outside after the hubbub of the morning calmed down.

I took Brayden and Kiya to our weekly Food Distribution.

We had a fridge full of food, so dinner that night was Leftovers. But I did cut up another big bowl of strawberries, this time for Chocolate Cheesecake Parfaits!

Bright and early on Wednesday morning, Acacia, Josie, and Auggie helped me make Flourless Chocolate Banana Muffins.

Arrow came to hang out that morning. We found puzzles and made farm animal sounds. Auggie kept insisting that the horse was a giraffe, and while we could see how he would come to this conclusion, Arrow kept telling him that it was, in fact, a “hos.” Hearing their conversations is beyond sweet.

We’d brought home several bags of prepped chicken from Tuesday’s Food Distribution that we needed to use up. So we warmed it for dinner that night, finished off the Chocolate Cheesecake Parfaits plus had Raspberries and Baked Beans.

Suddenly all of the kids are very into the game of Chess. Acacia begged for a game before bed and all the kids gathered ’round.

Hopelyn came over on Thursday morning. She spent a lot of the day shopping…

Auggie had a visit from a special education teacher from Early Development Network. He has made so much progress and it was so great to have so many positive things to report.

For dinner that night, I made Spaghetti with Broccoli. It was a simple meal because Matt and I were trying to sneak off for our weekly date. Several kids had major meltdowns before we left so it was difficult to get out the door. Malachi took over with the final fighting kiddo and we left, hoping for the best. (Everyone did fairly well while we were gone. Elias reported that truly everyone was pretty calm while we were gone, yet as soon as we walked back into the house, the screaming started up again. Ugh.)

Either way, we had some needed down time at Panera while we were gone. Silly as it was, we took Matt’s laptop so we could work on our taxes. This isn’t the most fun way to use our time alone, but this had to be done and there hasn’t been another moment to do it. So taxes by the fire sipping drinks…this was our date. :)

Friday morning, I made French Toast for the kids to grab and eat for breakfast. (No syrup needed because I used Cinnamon Bread, making this a grab and eat food!) I was in the middle of making these Smoothies that morning also.

During breakfast, I put together a huge Lasagna to freeze for an upcoming youth group event.

Acacia had an hour of Physical Therapy and an hour of Speech Therapy that morning. She’s meeting some of her goals which is very exciting!

Late morning, our friends, Paula and Randy, dropped off a huge load of pantry items for our Little Free Pantry. Auggie had a very good time helping me put everything away.

The little girls didn’t have preschool that afternoon, so they got to go with us to an assembly at the elementary school.

Keith was honored to receive the Responsible Award AND an award from the Music/PE/Art teachers. He was so proud – and so were we!

After the assembly, we got to have popcorn and take pictures in the hallway!

I made a very simple dinner that night of “Nacho Tots” with taco meat, cheese, salsa, and guac to put over tator tots.

That night, I made a huge roaster full of Smothered Pork Chops for our upcoming Sunday Lunch. I’m in the middle of writing this recipe to share with all of you soon!

We taught the kids to play Skipbo that night. I used to play this with our older boys a lot so playing this brought back great memories!

On Saturday mornings, we let the kids watch a couple of shows when they get up. So this allows me to get a little bit of kitchen work done in preparation for our weekend and upcoming week. This Saturday, I made a double recipe of Flourless Brownie Muffins, a batch of Crustless Cheesecake, and a double recipe of Breakfast Cookie Bars.

We got ready after that and headed to the library for Sensory Storytime. Kelsey and Hopelyn met us there!

After that, we took the kids to a free event at the International Quilt Museum. Some of the kids handled this fine and some of them didn’t, which is par for the course. We went home and ate leftovers for lunch, did some cleaning, played outside, and gave haircuts to the boys. And that was our week!

The post Big Family Food and Fun: March 1-7, 2026 appeared first on Heavenly Homemakers.

So first, do I not always feel like a human?

Indeed, I do not. I definitely feel the struggles of the flesh that distract me from a life of peace. But mostly? I often feel like a very worn out caretaker.

But!! There are many moments of each day that pull me out of the heaviness to remind me who I am and that life is full of goodness! It felt sweet to think through all of these moments and to write about them here.

The Best Parts of Life that Help Me Feel Human

1. Our Grandbabies

These are top of the list. At our house, we are almost always knee deep in our own kids’ poop, snot, screams, and tantrums – and I often feel desperate for a kid break. But when a grandbaby shows up? GIMME. I don’t even care if they come with poop and snot.

I can’t explain this. There’s something different about loving on the grandbabies – quite possibly because I am not the one fully in charge of them like I am our own kids. I simply get to squeeze, kiss, play with, and delight in them. And such a delight they are!

We are “Lolli” and “Pop” and do you know the best thing in the world? Seeing those babies’ faces light up and hearing them say “Yah-yee!” (Lolli is hard to say) and “Pop!” (Pop is easy) as they run toward us. It’s the sweetest thing in the world – I believe made sweeter because we are so knee deep in tantrums at our house. Everything sweet is sweeter for us because the hard at our house is so hard. Grandbaby sweetness tops the list.

2. Family Gatherings

Praise God – at this time, all 11 of our kids and their families live in Lincoln. I don’t take this for granted but instead appreciate every moment we have as a family doing life together in the same city.

Our grown kids have beautiful schedules full of all kinds of awesome endeavors be it work, friends, ministries, or activities. So when the stars align and we are able to gather together for a meal and maybe even a couple hours of gaming? Oh man. It’s the best!

Extra special: Being a bystander as our four older boys share inside jokes as they relive their childhood, throw shade about the variety of different soccer teams they each claim to be the best, or laugh together because they are all super hilarious people. This is all such a treasure to me.

In general, seeing our first four kids all grown up gives me so much joy and hope for the future of our young ones. It’s HARD WORK raising kids. But I see my adult kids and recognize so many ways that God was at work in their training and how He is still at work in their lives. If I can hold on to this truth – the truth that it isn’t up to me to ensure that our kids grow up to be awesome but that I can surrender them to God’s work for their good? I know it will all be ok. Being with my older kids reminds me of this.

3. Hosting Sunday Lunches

It’s a bit challenging to explain how hosting a big gathering in our home for 25-50 people every Sunday after church is life-giving for us. Isn’t it a lot of work? Isn’t it draining? Doesn’t it make a mess? Well sure, I guess.

It does take work – but not much more than it takes to feed 14 of us every day anyway. The work it takes to make one huge casserole compared to the work it takes to make two huge casseroles? Not harder. It’s just a doubled (or quadrupled) recipe.

And having extras in our house to play with our kids, help fix our kids’ plates, support and love our kids as they form relationships with them? The best gift! Most of our friends have no idea how good they are to our kids, but here they are being great, Sunday after Sunday.

Meanwhile, Matt and I get our cups filled up with precious adult conversation. We actually get to sit and eat our food. We watch as relationships deepen and community grows through interaction and sharing life with so many people that show up to these lunches.

And I don’t know if you knew this about me or not, but…I love feeding people. Our seven younger kids are beyond picky with their struggling neurodivergent brains and the taste buds this has affected. But our guests? They go through the food buffet line and not one person yells at me or throws food. Instead, they fill their plates and delight in the dishes. This feels so satisfying to me and brings such joy.

4. Sundays in general

While Sunday Lunches are awesome, the before and after are just as sweet. Worship on Sunday mornings is always fulfilling. Sometimes I cry all the way through it, usually from relief and joy, because of how good God is. I love Sunday worship and the fellowship with our people at Heartlands.

And after worship and lunch? We send the kids downstairs to watch a movie (a special privilege they look forward to!) while Matt and I enjoy time with other couples for our weekly Community Group. This is so life-giving. With all of this, Sundays are incredibly full and rich.

5. Going to our weekly Food Distribution

This one is harder to explain, because I am still parenting while there, taking 2-3 kids with me to help teach them to serve. But I think I enjoy this so much for several reasons. One, there’s food involved, so this is another form of feeding people that makes me happy. Watching 100ish people walk through the food line being provided with free groceries each week is such a delight to me.

Two, serving here takes me outside my own head every week for two hours. I’m there for others, I’m not pulled in a million different directions during that time like I normally am at home, and I can serve in ways that match my giftedness. Even vacuuming to clean up at the end of the session is life-giving to me. I like to work hard and to feel productive about it.

Three, I’m becoming friends with people that we see there each week. Even if we don’t speak the same language, we share familiar smiles, kindness, and care. It’s beyond awesome.

And four? Well, being there reminds me of different ways we taught our four older boys to serve when they were growing up. This feels normal to me – like a real life way we can help our kids learn to care about and serve others. So much of what we do with our kids now is trauma-healing. Taking them to serve at Food Net is similar to things we did with our first set of kids. It feels really good and familiar. It gives me hope.

6. Spending alone time with Matt

This guy and I work very hard together, doing very hard things all day long. When we have a chance to get away just the two of us and talk about something besides the kids and appointments and ABA therapy and the latest meltdowns and parenting strategies – and can instead talk about finances, our future, ministries, people we want to connect with, goals – wow. I feel human again. To feel human alongside my favorite human is a super bonus.

We currently get to sneak out of the house one evening each week to have time together while the older kids who live at our house take care of the needs of our younger seven for two and a half hours. In addition, we block out Friday afternoons to spend time together at home during Auggie’s nap. No appointments, no meetings – only together time. On nice days, we sit in the sun and drink coffee and visit. On cold days we sit inside in our sun room and drink coffee and visit. These hours are precious and life-giving, and they remind me that indeed, we are human.

7. Mondays

As much as we can make it happen, on Mondays I sneak away to spend the morning grocery shopping and then WRITING for several hours at Panera. Our friend, Emma, comes to the house to help with the kids, which makes it easier for Matt back home and frees me to get necessary shopping done for our family.

Then the time spent writing while enjoying sweet down time? Oh, I can breathe! Writing is so therapeutic for me and I don’t have much opportunity to do this during the season of life we are in. So these hours of being alone, sitting by myself, and going into my “writing zone?” Man, I love it!

8. Sitting in the Sunshine

When it’s possible, I sit for a few minutes in the sunshine during Auggie’s afternoon nap time. My nervous system needs to reset, my body needs to breathe, and the sun shining on my face is a precious reminder that His face is shining down on me to bless me and keep me. Now that the kids are a little bit older, sometimes I can even sit outside with them while they play independently nearby. It’s rare, but it’s starting to be possible. Oh sunshine. I love it!

9. Morning time with God

This one is my very favorite. But the struggle comes with having kids that get up very early, which interrupts my ability to sit in the quiet and find refreshment in the Word, and through journaling and prayer. I hurt over this sometimes. I always want more quiet time with God than I usually get now, and never feel like I get enough. Sometimes I barely stumble into the living room with my coffee and Bible before I hear little pitter patters of feet and the needs of the day press in.

So, time in the Word with Jesus is life-giving. I just don’t get much right now. Sometimes it’s two precious minutes, though everyone once in a while the stars align and I get a nice chunk of time. I am always so grateful for God’s provision on those mornings. I’m clinging to the years in which I had “quiet God time” in bulk. Back when I consistently slept through the night and got up early to dig in with Jesus for an hour and a half before starting my day. Those years prepared me for our current season, and the Truths that became my lifeline are holding me up now. God is faithful.

10. Being outside

I’ve learned that being outside is so life-giving to me! I love fresh air, sunshine (as mentioned above), walking trails, nature, getting exercise in a natural way – I love it all! Any nice-weather day, we take advantage of. It makes everyone feel better when we can be outside, and I definitely notice that I feel more alive and like myself when I can be out enjoying fresh air.

I’d love to hear from you!

What are your favorite parts of your days and weeks? What fills you? What makes you feel your best?

The post The Best Parts of Life that Help Me Feel Human appeared first on Heavenly Homemakers.

Why are we doing this? How did we get here? What is even happening right now?

God was so present in the WHY. He made it so obvious that He was in this, that He was leading us to this, that He had brought us to this. And He’s still in it all now, without a doubt. It’s just different – and harder – now. Therefore, I often question what we’ve gotten ourselves into.

• When the Egg Casserole gets smeared across the table and floor in defiance, followed by an angry cup of milk that gets thrown across the room
• When someone strips back down to a fully naked state – right after I’ve bent over backwards to make all the accommodations to help them choose their clothes and dress for the day – because the sleeve didn’t feel right
• When there are so many appointments to schedule and juggle that I haven’t had time to shower all week
• When I dare to say “no” to a child’s unreasonable request and it takes 45-minutes to settle them down from their meltdown
• When I open the yogurt “wrong” and get told “I HATE YOU!” as a result
• When all of this happens before 8am.

That’s when I forget my “why.”

What is the WHY?

Why do we have a houseful of kids? Why is there not much quiet to be found? Why aren’t we empty-nesting? Why are we faced with so many big needs all day, every day? Why are we doing this?

I’ll tell you (and remind myself) why.

Because 10ish years ago, we asked God to show us what it means to live more fully through the power of the Holy Spirit. And we asked Him to help us understand what it really means to love our neighbor. So He did.

He showed us our neighbors that were struggling with addictions and He walked us through loving them. Then, in a special and unexpected turn of events – He asked us to raise some of their children.

We didn’t know that this is what “loving our neighbor” would look like in our context. But now our house is full, and we have to seek the Spirit’s guidance constantly.

Sweet Memories of Preparation

Back in those days so many years ago as we were digging in with God to understand how He guides His people through the power of the Holy Spirit to more fully love our neighbors, we were in our final years of homeschooling our older four boys. Elias and Malachi and I spend hours and hours reading Janet and Geoff Benge’s Christian Heroes books. In this incredible series, we read many that told about Christians who started orphanages all over the world. People who took in children to raise as their own, to protect and provide for, to care for and to love.

We loved these books – and we were so challenged and inspired by them. But we had no idea that God was using them to prepare us to essentially have an orphanage of sorts in our home some day.

Wow. George Muller. Lillian Thrasher. Amy Carmichael. So many others. These heroes launched us into our WHY and helped us learn what an open home for hurting children could look like.

And then there was Teresa of Calcutta. Mother Teresa, as most of us know her. Reading about her taught us so much more about what it can look like to love the least of these. She shared that when she looked into the eyes of the hurting, suffering, and dying – she saw the eyes of Jesus. She made us ask: How could we do this? What would that look like for us? Who were the least of these around us that could show us who Jesus is?

As it turns out, our home is now filled with three brown-eyed and four blue-eyed sweet souls who hold a lot of hurt. These are the eyes we look into to meet Jesus every day.

It’s powerful. It’s holy. It’s humbling.

This is our WHY.

I can forget all of this in the midst of a meltdown and the weariness that follows. And selfishly, I want to do life the easier way – without having to struggle so much, work so hard, and feel inadequate so often.

As if any of us are adequate. As if we can do anything in life without the help of Jesus. As if anything worth doing for the Kingdom and because of the call of Jesus is a simple matter that doesn’t truly make us die to ourselves.

As if.

So I remember my WHY. I lean into my WHY. I go all in to keep in step with the Spirit who has led us here, walks with us here, and carries us through each day.

Remembering my WHY reminds me of my WHAT: Loving these children enough to lay my life down to serve and care for them every day. And in the name of Jesus, healing will come.

The post Sometimes I Forget My “WHY” appeared first on Heavenly Homemakers.