The Family Meal Table

Tammy is a faithful reader and encouraging commenter here at the Homespun Heart and I appreciate her friendship! She recently sent me this book and I just finished it!

I really enjoyed The Family Meal Table and Hospitality by Nancy Campbell, which is really an in-depth Bible Study on the idea of our own tables and extending our tables to others. Yes, this includes hospitality - and so much more. I decided to read the book once through without doing all the Bible Study and then go back again later and do that part. So, this review is coming after only reading it the first time.

This book is loaded with Scripture. I appreciate the consistency in looking to God's Word and I was amazed at the thoroughness of the study. This woman definitely knows her Bible!

My absolute favorite thing about the book was that she shared an acronym for TABLE and dedicated an entire chapter to each of three aspects of each of the five letters.

T: A place of training, teaching and togetherness
A: A place of affirming , anointing and atmosphere
B: A place of binding, building and blessing
L: A place of loving, listening and laughter
E: A place of encouragement, example and enjoyment

She includes a list of every food item and every cooking utensil mentioned in the Bible complete with references to line up. She shares Biblical examples of hospitality and the blessings of hospitality.

I loved this idea - she shared a blessing to pray over your children when they wake up and when they go to bed:

Wake:
"I will bless you with God's favor and grace
And in mercy and peace you shall dwell
Today in the land of the living."

Sleep:
"Jesus is Lord of your sleep and dreams
Under His shelter you hide
angels of the Lord encamp around you
And in truth you shall always abide."

Have any of you read this book? I'd love to hear what you thought!

Incidentally, I'm certain that this is not an inviting dining table. Ahem - it is such a big open space that it is easily cluttered. This is a recurring problem area for me - any ideas?

"Cheerfully share your home
with those who need a meal
or a place to stay for the night."
~ 1 Peter 4:9 ~ TLB

The $10 Difference

Want to see how $10 can get you some great music and make a difference this summer? My friends Craig and Megan are trusting God to provide for them by offering Craig's music for download. In addition to all of this, they are donating $1 of each $10 to the Eagle Lake Campership Fund! I'm on my way over to purchase my songs right now ~ will you join me?

Homemade Butter and Biscuits

One of my favorite features of my friend Amy's blog is her Notebook entries. I have gotten some great ideas through this list of fun links! Recently, she featured a link on making your own butter. I thought this was something we could have fun with around here, so we gave it a try!

I started with a small container of heavy whipping cream. I poured the entire container (about 1 cup) into a mason jar with a tight lid and we started shaking! The girls and I all took turns, and it took about 20 minutes. After about 15 minutes, I was getting a little concerned because I was just making whipped cream! But, in the next few minutes, there was a separation of the buttermilk and the butter and it was nice and thick in the middle, so I knew it was done. Note: I would say it takes 20 minutes of Mama-strength shaking. It would still be cream if the ladies were in charge!

I ended up with about 1/2 c. buttermilk and 1/2 c. butter. I poured everything through a sieve to drain the buttermilk. I'm wishing I had just poured the buttermilk into the biscuits, but now I'm thinking a chocolate cake sounds good!

While they were shaking, we watched Hermie and Friends, Buzby movie. My girls love honey and butter on biscuits, so I decided to make some biscuits for lunch to go with our fresh butter. And, I had found these little honey bottles at Big Lots very inexpensively, so this seemed like a good time to pull them out.

While they finished up the movie, I made the biscuits. Here is my favorite biscuit recipe!


1-2-3-4 Biscuits

1 c. milk
2 c. flour
3 Tbsp. shortening
4 tsp. baking powder

Cut together flour, baking powder and shortening. Add milk and stir until combined. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll. Cut biscuits out with a cookie cutter or round biscuit cutter. Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes.

We enjoyed homemade biscuits, fresh butter and honey for lunch! It was a fun treat and I hope we can do it again soon! A friend stopped by and I offered her some and we agreed it had such a pure and natural taste. I always love doing things that make me feel like a pioneer woman (from the comfort of my air conditioned home with an electric oven) and this was a fun project. It got me to thinking about doing some sort of Old-Fashioned Arts class with young ladies some day. Wouldn't that be fun!?

What makes you feel like a pioneer?

"How sweet are Your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!"
~ Psalm 119:103

Samuel!

Ok, I didn't realize Samuel was getting so little blog time - but lots of you have mentioned it - so here is his very own post! :) I promise I am not doing it on purpose! I guess because the girls are so busy and active doing lots of new things and Samuel still sleeps a lot - he is getting over shadowed.

Right now, his new things are sucking his thumb, rolling over to his tummy, holding toys, playing with his toes and reaching out for things. He is so content and peaceful. Samuel - I love you so much! You are a blessing!

Thank you, Miss Amy for the special quilt!

ABC's With Emily

Last fall, I wanted to start doing some ABC things with Emily - we started out in a very modified homeschool schedule, but really all we stuck with was doing one activity each week that started with the next letter of the alphabet. I am really kind of sad that I didn't finish this - but between bed rest and a new baby (not to mention hard letters!) it just didn't happen. I am happy about what we did get done and hope she has fun looking at these pictures someday!

Aquarium

Bouncy Slide

Cooking with Mama

Dentist

Eggs at a little market

Firetruck

Girls over to play

Hayride

Ivy's Ice Cream Shoppe

Juice

Kite

Lights

Marshmallows

Nativity

"O" Grandparents

Park and Picnic

Quack

Ride the Carousel

Samuel

Tractor

Umbrellas

Veggie Tales Movie

Family Night: Homespun Fourth

I hope you all had a great weekend! I know you were all looking forward to seeing pictures of my Homespun Fourth party - but this bug we had just has been awful! So, we weren't able to host our party this weekend. Bummer.

We did grill out and enjoy a yummy meal together and do sparklers with Emily and Rachel. I look forward to being able to do our Homespun 4th party another year!

Winner!

Lura is the winner of this doorknob prize! Send me your mailing info and I will ship it off this week!

A Life That Says Welcome

Tammy P asked if I'd do a review of a book I recently read called A Life That Says Welcome by Karen Ehman.

I love talking about hospitality, so am always excited to have opportunities to share on this topic!

I think the first thing you'd notice reading this book, is Karen's down to earth style. She obviously has a good sense of humor and a gift at communicating things. She is motivating and inspiring, but also very real about her journey to hospitality.

I appreciated that she included so many practical ideas - carrying out hospitality including themed dinners, recipes, etc... this book is loaded with ideas! But, I felt it was well balanced with thinking hospitality through. Changing some of our thinking on things like our homes being too small, practicing last-minute hospitality and, "hospitality on the road."

I was encouraged by her love for the Lord, her willingness to point us to why we should be hospitable and what it means to reach out to others not for our own glory but for His glory. I was inspired by her fun personality and can-do attitude. There were many ideas in her book I'd never heard before and am excited to try.

Her ideas are doable. She is not promoting that everything has to perfect and just like Martha would do it. She is a real person living real life and her ideas could easily be incorporated into everyday life.

Overall, when I finished this book, I wanted to get busy practicing hospitality and being welcoming to those around me. I know this is one of those books that must be read and re-read to glean all of the goodies from and I will be excited to read it again!

Have a hospitality post you'd like to see here? Let me know in the comments! Have any of you read this book? I'd love to hear what you thought as well!

Hospitality: Opening your home while you're away!

Michelle wrote and mentioned that they make their home available to others while they are going to be away. Great idea! She is looking for quick and simple, yet welcoming touches to include in her home for guests she may not always know.

Here are some thoughts that come to my mind:

* Make a welcome note. A small sign on the door welcoming your guests or a note in the kitchen or a place they'd easily see it will make them feel welcome right away. If you have any instructions you need to leave, this would be a good place to include this as well. Here's one idea I've used a lot.

* Make things easy to find. Set out extra towels on the sink area or near the shower or extra dish towels in the kitchen.

* All homes have little quirks, if you think there is something you need to make your guests aware of, maybe a post-it note stuck to that area would be a big help to them. Directions on how to use your TV may also be greatly appreciated as each one seems to have different things to press! Here's an idea on how to explain using your television.

* Since you'll likely have clean sheets on the beds already - how about including a small card that wishes them a good night sleep or includes a Bible verse, if appropriate to your guests. You could include a mint or small package of cookies to step it up even more.

* How about a bowl of fruit in the kitchen or mixing up the dry ingredients for muffins? Set out the muffin tin, bowl, spoon and recipe so they can finish them up quickly in the morning. You could even put the wet ingredients in a bowl in the refrigerator all ready to go.

* Do you have any flowers blooming in your yard? Cut one or a few and put them on the table for a pretty centerpiece your guests can enjoy during their stay.

* Will your company have children with them? How about a box of popsicles in the freezer or bubble bath in the tub. These little things will mean a lot to those who are away from home!

I'm sure there are many more ideas and I'd love to hear your suggestions as well!

More Summer Decorating

What is your favorite way to decorate for summer? I pulled these things from other spots around the house to create a summer look on top of my china cabinet.

Ask Seek Knock

I found this neat doorknob at our local ReStore and thought it would look neat hung on the wall with a copy of Matthew 7:7 hanging from it!

Since everyone in our house is finally feeling better and I need something fun - I'd like to give it away here. Please just leave a comment before midnight Friday and I'll do a random drawing sometime on Saturday. I'm sorry that I can't do international shipping this time. But, be watching for another fun giveaway coming up for anyone to enter.

Happy Commenting!

Award!

Both Mrs. Decker and Miranda gave me this lovely award! Thank you, ladies for your thoughtful kindness!

These are the rules to accept the award:

1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2. Each award has to have the name of the author and a link to his/her blog to be visited by everyone.

3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that presented her/him with the award.

4.The award winner and one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y Pico" blog so everyone will know the origin of this award. (there was no link provided, so I don't have one to include)

5. To show these rules.

Now, the fun part! I get to choose five blogs to award this honor to!

In random order, here are my picks - I tend to always honor the same favorites, so this time am broadening my horizons on sharing the award with others who are a blessing to me!

A Snip of Goodness: this is one of my in-real-life friends; I am always encouraged by what she shares, I appreciate her gentle and quiet spirit and am pointed to the ways of God by her words. Thank you, Amy - for sharing of yourself.

Biblical Womanhood: you all probably already know how much I love Crystal and can't wait to meet her in person in a few weeks! Her love for and commitment to the Lord are such an inspiration and blessing to me as I desire to live a life of Biblical womanhood in my home.

Joy In Small Packages: I love the smiling children Annmarie shares here! This family knows how to have fun together and share the sweet moments of life. They celebrate the little stuff and I tell you, these smiles just warm my heart!

Nest Sweet Nest: Elise has become a sweet blog friend to me - we e-mail back and forth and share crafty ideas and things. She is creative and loves the Lord and her family. She is a kindred spirit! I am excited because she just started her own blog - yeah! Welcome, Elise! And, she made these dresses!

Blessed Femininity: Katie's heart for the Lord is obvious in everything she shares. I appreciate her commitment to Him and to honoring Him through her blog and even in the comments she leaves on other blogs!

Annabelle

This past week has been extremely challenging. Monday night, it all started as Rachel was unusually whiny and couldn't seem to be pleased and I finally decided to put her to bed. As I took her into the bathroom to brush her teeth - she lost her dinner. Oh. That would be why she was whiny - she obviously did not feel good.

After Rachel got over her 24 hour bug, Emily got it and had nothing to eat or drink for over 48 hours. After a trip to the dr. and me starting to feel icky - she started to drink and eat that afternoon.

Samuel was a trooper continuing to be his happy, content and easy-to-please self during this entire ordeal. I am amazed at him and could stand to learn a lot from his patience and easy going attitude.

Sunday morning, I started feeling bad again - stomach cramps and just couldn't get out of bed. David took the girls to go check on his dad who also wasn't feeling well. Oh my.

When he came home, he had this:

I was surprised!!! We had talked about getting a laptop for me to use, but I had no idea it would be today! It was a very fun and generous surprise from him.

Initially, I felt overwhelmed - a laptop is certainly not something I NEED, though I know it is something I will enjoy and I know it will be a blessing to us. I came to the realization that I should accept this generous gift and thank David for it (which I did) and take good care of it (which I will) and commit it to God's use to please, glorify and honor Him.

Call me crazy - but I just had it in my mind that I wanted to name her (yes, it is a girl!) and the name that kept coming to mind was Annabelle. I looked up what it meant and saw that Annabelle means grace and favor. Mmm, yes that feels right.

"...thank you for your grace and favor..." a snip of a hymn wafted through my mind that evening while I fixed a meager meal for our under-the-weather family.

I want to publicly thank my sweet hubby for this thoughtful and generous gift! Thank you for being my own personal tech-support! Yes, I love this gift - but I am even more thankful for YOU!

I also want to publicly dedicate the use of this laptop to God's kingdom. Lord, let this be an instrument of Your grace and glory. Let me use it in a way that pleases You!

"May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart, be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." ~ Psalm 19:14

Clean Heart: Part Twenty One

Do my goals reflect a clean heart?

What are my goals? I've always wanted to truly be a Proverbs 31 woman, but lately God has been increasing my thinking on this.

My goals:
* to be a Proverbs 31 woman
* to please and glorify God rather than man
* to be a godly wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend
* to use the gifts and talents He has given me for His glory and my enjoyment
* to be involved in ministry
* to take good care of my home and family
* to do what is right

Looking over this list and inside my heart, I can say that right now, my goals do reflect a clean heart. I know that I can say this only because of God's work in me, the way He orders my steps and the fact that these are the goals He has for me.

Swimsuit Q&A

I can hardly believe I have posted a photo of myself in a swim suit - but that should tell you how much I love this one! I have never had a love of swim suits and have struggled with how unflattering they feel on me. I would avoid going swimming or the beach, because I did not want to feel so bad about myself.

Until now. I love this one! I love wearing it and I don't even have to swim - I just like wearing it! I got it last summer through Land's End and a wonderful gift my Mom gave me for my birthday!

I know it would have been super easy to answer this question in the comments. But, as I lay in bed the night after posting our Family Night at the beach, I thought how fun it would be if Land's End would agree to host a giveaway here so that one of you could get a new suit and enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed mine!

So, I wrote and asked them - and their director was out of town at the time, hence the delay in posting this. As of now, I have heard from them - but not with a definite answer - and I think it silly to keep you all waiting over a week just to know where I bought my suit. So, if Land's End comes through with a giveaway - there will be an update to this post!

I love this suit because it is flattering and modest, but still cute and comfortable. It is two piece - a tank top (link is to the same cut/style mine is, though not the pattern obviously) and Swim Mini skirt (navy).

Yes, I am able to nurse while wearing this - though I won't say that it is made for that, and since I don't usually wear special nursing attire, it fits fine with my style.

This suit washes well also - I simply toss in the washer and hang to dry. Another thing I love about Land's End suits is all the options. You get to pick your style, your bra type, your size including petites and talls. Their catalog and web site are full of flattering and modest options made out of cute fabrics. I liked the above option also because of the mix and match options. So, you can get colors you like that look good on you!

While browsing the other day, I noticed that there are some great swimsuit options in their Overstock Clearance - so you might even be able to snag a pretty good deal! I also stumbled upon the fact that they have maternity suits and look at this darling maternity swim top!

Any other suggestions out there on finding a cute, flattering and modest suit?

Reading

Remember when I asked for suggestions on books to read? Well, you all really answered! I've been enjoying lots of new books lately and at your request, will share what I've read these past few months.

I've always enjoyed seeing Megan's book list by month, so I've been keeping a similar list in a Word document.

Here are the books I've read this year:

January:
Colorado Christmas by Rosey Dow (compilation of three short stories): I enjoyed this for it's title and there was one story in particular that I enjoyed. Having lived in Colorado Springs, where her first story was set, I could not make a connection between what she wrote and even a historical perspective of this city I love. But, I did enjoy the short stories.
Living Simply by Joanne Heim read my review here
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo: I do enjoy this author - though this was not my favorite of her books.
The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo: a quick read, but not my favorite
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder: a consistent re-read around my house!
Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo*: this is probably my favorite of her books
Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern: lots and lots of info on organizing! Don't read this while you are on bed rest and can't do any organizing!
Mitford Bedside Companion by Jan Karon: a great compilation of the Mitford series
Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder: I think this is my favorite book in this series. I love this particular book and all the things they accomplish in one day!
Hidden Places by Lynn Austin*: I really enjoyed this one! The movie does not do it justice, so I would choose to read the book instead.
On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder: another consistent re-read
The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook by Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore (partially skimmed/read about half): I borrowed this book as we plan to begin homeschooling. There were things I liked about it, but the fact that I didn't finish it tells me it was a bit overwhelming to me.
Though None Go With Me by Jerry Jenkins: I'm interested to see this one made into a movie.

February:
Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon: a very different tone from the Mitford books, but a good read from this well loved author.
Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo: this is one of Emily's favorite movies, I did enjoy this one!
Willow Springs by Jan Watson*: This is the second in a series I had started before Christmas. Another one I really enjoyed.

April:
Peace Like A River by Lief Enger: I must admit, this was not one of my favorite books I've read this year. Books like this make me feel like I am not very smart - I had a hard time getting into the writing style and it was heavy material. But, I did finish it, which should say something right there.
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall*: I loved this book! I can't wait to read it with Emily and Rachel.

May:
A Woman’s Place by Lynn Austin*: I liked this one because it followed the lives of four women, and how they eventually interconnected.
Rekindled by Tamera Alexander*: I really enjoyed all three in the series by this author and am anxious to pursue any other books she may have written. The stories were intricate enough to keep me guessing, I really enjoyed her style. These books were also set in Colorado Springs in its frontier days. Of course, I really liked that and the author described the air, the mountains and trees so beautifully I missed them!
Shepherding A Child’s Heart by Ted Tripp*: Oh, how I needed this one. It is really right where we are at right now raising young children. This is one of those books I'll read again and again for wisdom and help in the training of children according to God's Word. I was challenged and inspired.
Revealed by Tamera Alexander*: see above

June:
All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin: Again, some heavy material - life is hard. Not my favorite of her books.
A Life That Says Welcome by Karen Ehman*: read a few thoughts here - book review coming on this one. I LOVED this book!
Remembered by Tamera Alexander*: see above
The Storekeeper's Daughter by Wanda E. Brunstetter: Another one that I wasn't a huge fan of. I do enjoy reading about the Amish - but this wasn't my favorite.

Currently Reading:
The Family Meal Table by Nancy Campbell (I haven't been able to find a link for this one): I am really enjoying this one a lot! I will share more about it when I finish but it fits really well with our hospitality theme going on here!
The Scent of Lilacs by Ann H. Gabhart: I am basically just finishing this one to see what happens at the end. I had a very hard time getting into it and thought about not finishing it at all.

Of all of these, I would say that there are some that stand out above others. I have put a star next to my favorites. Of course, I read so many in January because I was on bed rest. And, it is hard for me to write a synopsis of these now that it has been several months. I have made notes on the books that I can remember enough about them to share. Plus, you can read a short synopsis on each at the provided link.

Note - it is hard for me to be so honest about some of these books. I wish I could find something wonderful and charming to say about each one. I also want to be careful suggesting books that I liked and then you read them and don't like them. As with all things, use your own judgment and discernment on choosing books rather than taking my word for them.

Worth Reading

This post called, A Mother's Touch, is beautiful and very worth the read!

Hospitality with Littles

How do you get past the fear of having a not quite perfect home (not picked up) with three littles and still welcoming drop in friends?

This comment was left on my recent post about hospitality. And, it is a great question! In a lot of ways, I think we have to get over wanting our house to be perfect when people come over. Our children are simply not going to keep every little thing put away!

I have come a long way in this area - maybe even too far to the other extreme now, where when a guest stops by I don't usually think about all the clutter on my counters or how many dust bunnies are on my kitchen floor.

If the guests drop in - there should be less expectations on our home. We did not know they were coming and our lives are lived in our homes. Do you have any suggestions to share on drop in company?

If I know we are having guests, obviously I will take some extra measures to present our home than when someone stops by unannounced. What comes to my mind is productively occupying our children so that once we've tidied the home for coming guests, they are not undoing it all!

Here are some ideas:

* Involve children in the welcoming of company: let them help in choosing who comes, color a welcoming picture or decorate a sign or chalkboard you've written on. If you have a sign welcoming them - this will draw their attention up rather than to dirt on the floor! And, will give them a big welcome and let them know you are glad they are there. You could also provide a sheet of paper and just ask your child to color on it. It could be cut into place cards which you add the names to!

* Set out the dishes and then have children help set the table while you are preparing the meal. How I often do this is to hand Emily one plate and say, "This one is for Daddy's place." When she comes back we repeat this for each plate, napkin, fork, knife, spoon, etc... it takes longer and she really can't handle multiple plates right now anyway!

* Write or print up a small drink order form and let your young children go around with a pen and take drink orders! They will feel very important and it will give them something productive to do! Click to enlarge and print the drink order form.


* Think of your home with your ears - I recently had a friend stop by with her fiancee who could not see. I thought of our home so differently as I "saw" it through my ears and the way he saw it. He did not see one speck of dust or clutter, he heard happy and chattering children, heard them play on the piano and sing songs, heard them talk about God. This made me feel a lot better about our home and the state of chaos it was in when they dropped by. Now, I know that most of us can see when we go into each others homes, but let's think about the important things!

* Be responsible for your own stuff - yes, kids are going to make a mess, but they don't make piles on the kitchen counter. This is our domain and we can take control of these areas. And, I am speaking to myself on this one!

* Let children play outside or color at the table to keep out of the toys. Let them watch a movie shortly before guests arrive if you need a few more minutes to prepare your home and heart.

* Think about what you'd expect visiting a friend with young children - chances are, she has similar expectations. Life is lived in our homes and we truly do not expect them to look magazine quality when we arrive. Wouldn't you wonder what life was really like at that home? It probably isn't as inviting as the one with signs of life nearby.

If you still aren't comfortable having guests over right now - try inviting some friends for a picnic and meet them at a nearby park - you can bring a pretty tablecloth or flowers for the table to pretty it up! There are lots of ways to be hospitable! But, our homes are the center of this.

I'd love to hear from you on how you manage hospitality with littles in your homes. Hospitality is something God desires for us to do, so I know it is possible to do it with our children helping alongside us. I can't wait to read your thoughts and ideas!