David has converted me forever to the wonder of feather pillows! I find it hard to sleep on anything else now that I know how cozy and comfortable they are!
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to help provide some food for a wedding going on at church - I was so happy to be able to help and had fun making it special!
Basil Cheese Triangles (Betty Crocker cookbook)
Not long before we went out of town with David for his conference, he took a day off of work and gave me the day off (yes, again!) ~ it was so nice!!
The basement at this place is amazing!
And, here is my cozy table for lunch ~
Hot tea and milk - look at that cute creamer!
My delicious soup!
What a wonderful day! What do you do to feel refreshed?
Now that our garden is about done for the season (I've started planting a Fall garden, but the first one is about done!) I wanted to see what was worth my while in planting.
Here is what I harvested:
Zinnias - harvested at least one bouquet per week!
Here is what I spent vs. how much I got for it:
After trying squash and corn for several years with pitiful results, I'm pretty sure I won't even try those again. Other things I felt were ok, green beans are obviously very cost effective and highly successful! Each year, I learn a bit more!
Start by splitting hot dog buns apart. Lay on a baking sheet and spread with a thin layer of butter. Next, spread with a thin layer of mayo and sprinkle with your favorite garlic seasoning. Top with shredded cheese and slip into oven until cheese is melted and starting to brown!
Angie requested a post on how to pack a charming picnic! I love picnics ~ there are so many charming things you can do for picnics and they are one of the ultimate simple pleasures!
I try not to use plastic or paper items when packing a picnic if at all possible! Here are some ideas for packing a charming picnic:
~ I love packing chicken salad in a jar, fruit in a jar, dessert in jars, etc... Jars will serve you well in many capacities for picnics.
Here are some past posts on picnics that will show you other ideas of themes, things you can make and charming touches:
What are your favorite ideas for adding some charm to a picnic?
The school bell rings, we pray and pledge our allegiance to our country. School began in our home this past Monday morning and the excitement was running high.
We took pictures of course, and I traced around the girls hands and had Emily write her name for me to keep from their first day.
I took them out to lunch for a special treat and after dinner, we enjoyed this (link to Woman's Day website was not working, so I am linking to where I found the idea) yummy dessert! Note: the suggested idea is a cake with the cookies on top - I just put a bit of frosting under each cookie and stuck it to a cookie sheet and used that for our dessert! Simpler and less to eat!
Sunday night as I was getting the table set for breakfast the next morning and gathering our school things - I was really struggling with all the things I thought needed to be done. I am not good at being satisfied with doing some things, I always want to finish everything I think needs to be done. But, God reminded me that I could knock myself out doing all of it or finish the necessary things and then sit and rest some in the evening.
I did just do the necessary things and then rest - which was definitely the better choice. I know I will have to learn how/when to do my chores and things with adding school to our routine. But, yesterday while the girls colored I folded clothes and I hope I can learn to gradually add things like that in when it is good for all of us!
I should've taken a picture! Our table was set all nice and neat for our first morning of school, while every available space on the kitchen counter was filled with dishes, piles and all kinds of things that needed to be put away. I've made some progress - but it was almost humorous, it was such a striking contrast!
Free three-ring binders were readily available during the school supply sales! But, as I was preparing for the Fruit of the Spirit study, I wanted to be able to provide the little ladies with a pretty journal to keep their work in.
First, lay out your binder open with the outside of it laying flat on the counter. Slide a piece of cotton quilt batting underneath and cut the batting to fit the edges of your binder.
Fold edges over and fold again - hot glue in place and use a clothespin to hold in place. Do the short edges first. Then, fold the corners as desired and secure the long edges with hot glue as well. I followed the same method that I used in making this cookbook if you'd like more pictures.
That's it! This is so very simple! You could add any kind of embellishments you want, I just kept mine plain and simple. We'll use these to add our journal pages throughout the year! Since they are the same, I did add a label to the inside with each girls' name on it so we can keep track!
Here is my plan for the first four weeks of this study - I will continue to share in four week segments throughout the school year. This month, we'll spend one week on introducing the Fruit of the Spirit and the remaining three weeks on the first quality: love. Note: to print journal pages, click on each one to enlarge and then save or print.
* Introduce notebooks/journal
* Sing
* Color and put in journal.
Doing a cheer for our runner on the couch this morning!
School is starting all around the nation and even the world! And, yes, school will be starting in our little family as well ~ and I have spent a lot of time and energy preparing and thinking through what I hope to accomplish this year and things I want to implement in our home.
Basically, four weeks will be spent on each of the nine Fruit of the Spirit qualities. And, I’m planning to use the Music Machine song which goes along with each quality for that month. So, for the first four weeks – we’ll learn and sing the song “Love” – you could choose to learn a special hymn about this topic, pick a favorite praise and worship song or whatever works for you! I wanted to incorporate music as it is fun for children and vital for worshipping God!
I may mix in a few of the Steve Green songs as well – since several of them directly correlate to the Scriptures we’ll be using in the weeks ahead.
You’ll also note that I’ve incorporated learning the sign language for each of the nine qualities. This is optional of course, but my children have really enjoyed sign language since they were infants which is the main reason I included it! It is also handy in a situation where you’d like to give a quiet message to your child without embarrassing them by speaking the words – a simple show of the sign for joy could be a great reminder to be joyful and can be presented in a quiet and tactful way that they will still understand.
As with anything – this is just a guide! No one list of suggestions will work for every family out there. This is what I think will work best in our home and if it helps someone else by providing a framework for studying God’s Word – God be praised!
Let’s pray before we begin!
Dear Lord,
Thank You so much for Your precious Word! Thank You for the instruction we receive from studying it. I pray for my children and our home as we seek You each morning and study this portion of Your Word! I pray that it would come alive for my children in a way that is meaningful to them and that we would be faithful to meet with You each day. Help us to cultivate our relationship with You and guide me as a mother in guiding these little ones closer to You. Teach me how to teach them and I ask You to teach me in the process. I pray in advance for any other mama who chooses to spend this time with You each day. Please bless their time and multiply the benefits in her life and the lives of her children in a way that only You can do.
We commit this time and study into Your care and ask You to be Lord over all that occurs in our time together.
To God be the Glory!
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
The first section including the intro to the Fruit of the Spirit and Love will be up in the next few days! I'd love to hear from you if you decide to participate!
As I mentioned, the chore chart idea came from an organizational magazine I saw at my mom's house. It didn't really say how to make it - so this is what I came up with!
I put a lot of thought into the chores as well. Here is a list of what I ended up deciding on:
An empty sidewalk chalk container was transformed into a cute chore stick holder!
I also made two happy face cards and these go in their charts when they complete all their chores and they have been so excited to work on their chores to get the happy face on their chart!
Did I forget anything? Enjoy making your own chore charts!
