Making Lunches Easy

For me lunch is that odd man out for meals. Breakfast food is a big favorite around here, and we have lots of supper favorites, but lunch was getting ignored. It was hard to get worked up about it. But with the start of officially homeschooling now I knew I had to get my act more together and I had to make it easy and nutritious.

So I thought I would share my kitchen tip with you for making lunches easier.

First I have have a handful of super easy meals that I can get together in 10 minutes or less, start to on the table. They include such favorites as:

1. grilled cheese sandwiches (with a bit of cream cheese in addition to regular cheese) and fruit
2. poached eggs, toast and fruit
3. cold sandwiches and fruit, although I try to make sure the sandwiches have protein in them
   
4. leftovers
5. Snacking lunch of fruit, cheese, crackers
   

But my new secret weapon for making lunches easier is the 2 day plan. I plan a meal, usually a casserole of some type, a skillet meal, or a pasta that will be good for 2 meals, and plan them staggered. This, of course, adheres to my favorite kitchen rule of "why do one when you can do two!" which truly helps me so much!

So my menu for lunches often looks like this:

Monday - Pasta Meal
Tuesday - Casserole
Wednesday - Pasta meal again
Thursday - Casserole again
Friday - easy meal

The beauty of it is that it means for at least 2 days of the week there is minimal kitchen prep for lunch, almost no clean up, and nothing hot turned on! This makes it easier for me to have nutritious meals at lunch and still spend lots of time with my girls outside the kitchen!

Although this helps me a lot, I would still love to hear what else you do to make lunches easier! With two littles and one starting homeschooling in the mornings I would love some more ideas!

White Cake

For my birthday my family gave me the perfect gift: The Cake Bible

It is excellent! And this was my first attempt of a cake out of it, a white cake. It turned out very delicious. I did splurge and get cake flour for my first recipe out of this cookbook, but in the future I would use the substitution of 1 cup cake flour = 1 cup - 2 tbsp AP flour.

What I like about this books is that it is detailed. There is no guess work. And in the back is pretty much everything you could ever want to know about the science of cakes and decorating cakes.

I highly recommend this excellent cake cookbook! And so do my family and neighbors who have been appreciative of my efforts!

Using Old Magazines

So often I am overwhelmed by old magazines and what to do with them. I do hand many off, but am given just as many in return! This problem became more acute when I was blessed with a couple free magazine subscriptions in addition to the Better Homes and Garden that I love.

I hated to just toss them, there had to be a good use for them! Even using some to make fancy envelopes was not helping the pile!

And then I had my ah-ha! Moment.

I now put all the old magazines and catalogs with great pictures in a box.

During crafting time I pull out a magazine, some paper, some children's scissors and a glue stick and let Miss Pear go wild. She cuts whatever she wants and glues it.

At first she needed help and I would pull pages out of the magazine to make it easier for her to cut. Now the only help she needs is rounding up supplies as they are mostly out of reach.

Not only is this helping use up the stash of magazines and fueling her creativity, it is also helping her cutting skills! (Pasting needs no help, but practice with that is good too!)

However, this created a whole new problem.

What do I do with the creations of a prolific artist?

Any ideas for what to do with all these creations? Other ideas of what to do with magazines?

I am just me

In this past week I have talked to a friend who is taking all three of her children to an amusement park, by herself.

I have read about the incredible, crafty introduction to home school that one mom launched including MAKING A VASE OUT OF PENCILS!

I have read about another mom of many children who makes the majority of their clothing.

I have talked to another mom about the large garden she is processing to feed their family through the winter.

I have read a nutritional cookbook that puts my cooking and baking to absolute shame.

I have read various homeschooling sites about what to do and what to use.

All this pretty much made me feel useless and like I was doing a horrible job.

I like to be crafty and creative, but this takes me a long time because I have to work hard on it.

I love to cook and bake for my family, but right now I am keeping things simple because every time I am in the kitchen Baby follows me and alternately rubs her head on my leg to get me to look at her and smile, or sits on my feet. It is fun, but it means keeping life simple.

I love homeschooling, Miss Pear is 4, but since the age of 1 her doctors have been telling us that she is advanced for her age, and to be prepared for that, so there is a lot of stuff that she is doing early. Therefore, we are doing a mix of preschool and kindergarten, so many excellent kindergarten or preschool programs just don't work for us, no matter how great they are. We go our own path and move at our own speed. And I am good with that.

Some days I am lucky if I can get the wash done, never mind get to the sewing machine. But my family has clean clothes to wear and all the mending is caught up with only 2 shirts waiting to be ironed.

I love having garden fresh food! However the Lord has given us a small yard, so I plant what I can and enjoy it. Tomatoes are starting to finally ripen this week.

There are a lot of women that excel in lots of areas, or shine so brightly in a few that they leave the rest of us in the dust. But we don't see the other areas of their lives, the areas where they are weak, or that they might neglect.

I cannot be all those other women, I cannot excel in all those areas without my family suffering greatly.

All I can do is be the woman God made me to be, and care for the family He gave me. Each family has different needs and is nurtured in different ways.

I am just me, and I am good with that.

Love Unfailing

Sometimes we need to be reminded of the truth we already know. On of my past pastors called it the leaky bucket theory. We are leaky buckets, the truth leaks out of us and we need to be constantly refilling it with the water of God's Word. Or more clearly stated, we forget what we know and need to remind ourselves, reading the Bible works best for this, so does reciting and singing scriptures you have memorized.

Here is one verse that we have been singing around here. The song lyrics are in the NIV, so that is the translation of the quote...just in case you might need reminding too!

The Lord your God is with you He is might to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

What verses do you use to remind yourself of the truth of God?

Multitude Monday 4

There is something wonderful about praising and thanking God. I want to be purposefully thankful with specifics, even though there are generalities and always things that I am thankful for. God, my salvation, my husband, my girls all count and are the always ones! I want to find the rare gems in each week that are unique to that day, to that time, and note them.

I want to purposefully and wholeheartedly thank and praise God for His goodness to me!

So here is some of what I am thankful for from this past week:

24. Baby is 11 months old.

25. At 11 months and one day old Baby started to crawl. It took her a while because when she would get into a crawling position her knees would scoot to the side to be in the same position she was in when wearing the harness (knees up and out to the side).

26. Miss Pear is doing such an excellent job of memorizing verse. Doing a verse a week might not work much longer as she had last week's verse memorized by Wednesday!

27. Reading Mother Goose to my girls.

28. My sweet husband. Last week started with me re-injuring my foot so he insisted I put it up as much as possible and then gave me "grief" if I tried to do too much (which was essential what I considered the bare minimum). The week ended with a touch of the flu...he sent me to bed while he cleaned the kitchen and did the laundry...then brought me water and crackers. And told me funny stories to make me laugh.

29. Miss Pear explaining the Trinity and doing an excellent job of it!

30. Miss Pear reading the Rescuers with Daddy and asking why the mice were rescuing the girl because Jesus is our Rescuer!

31. Miss Pear answering a question about Adam and Eve in the garden by saying that Satan is the liar. And sounding annoyed about it...along the lines of how dare he try to mess with God!

32. Finding enough spare minutes to finish a special cross stitch present for friends. (I think it will be for Christmas)

33. It was very sad to lose an old friend on Friday, but I am so thankful to know that his suffering is over and that he is with Jesus.

34. Baby Pear playing with the fridge magnets while sitting there and dancing away as it sings to her. I guess it is one of those things you just have to see because it is SO CUTE!

35. A well stocked freezer to help us out this week!

A Sad Friday

Friday morning we found out that a dear, older friend of ours had passed away. He had been very sick for the past 3 years, and slowly declining before that, so this was not unexpected, but somehow my heart did not get the message.

This is a man who, along with his wife, mentored my husband and I young in our marriage. This is a couple who is very dear to us, and in trying to describe to Miss Pear who he is we said that he was a friend who loved Jesus very much and who helped us to love Him more too.

If you would like to join us in praying for our dear friend who has lost her husband, her name is Kay, and I can honestly say that it is her life mission to help other people know God and His Word as well as possible, teaching an in-depth Sunday school class and then the same class again later that week at an assisted-living facility.

In no way was this a surprise to anyone, and in many ways I am thanking God. He ended our friend's suffering, He is easing the very heavy task of caring for a loved one so sick and declining daily, and I know He is binding up their hearts. But it still hurts.

Praying for Noah

You might have noticed that on my side bar the Praying for Noah button has been updated with a new picture. Can I ask that you click on it and consider praying for Noah as he is a sick little boy and is in the hospital again. The last update from his mom is heartbreaking.

Blessed Bread Cloth

I pretty much love any craft that is sewing based that I have tried so far. Embroidery, cross stitch, quilting, knitting, all big yeses! Crochet? Well, jury is still out as I am just starting to learn, but it looks promising!

Finding time is always a challenge as crafting gets slotted well after caring for my family in my order of priorities. But now that we are doing the Preschool/Kindergarten homeschooling I am finding that there is time when I am sitting at the table with Miss Pear as she is coloring something or tracing something. So I keep a little bag of hand sewing near the table for those rare spare minutes!

This morning I finished a small but meaningful project, it is a bread cloth for some friends of ours and this verse has a special meaning to them. The pattern is one I bought and then I changed out the words they had for the verse I wanted (I used a page from my husband's old astronomy note book so it is very fine graph paper) and extended the pattern to fill each corner rather than just the one.

All things considered, after adapting the pattern and changing some colors to match their kitchen I am quite pleased with the outcome!



Next up: hemming winter themed napkins

Edgy? Me? No!

Okay, maybe a little.

For the last two days there has been construction in the distance that is blasting intermittently, or else a military base on the other side of the mountain is running drills blowing up stuff.

Either one is fine with me.

Except for one thing.

It sounds almost like the sound that we hear right before an earthquake.

FOR THE LAST 2 DAYS!

Edgy? No, why do you ask?

But it reminds me of something I need reminding of. I am not in control. Despite what I think. So the weird noise that gives me pause and the re-injured food that is just injured enough to slow me down but not enough to elicit help from friends is a reminder that I don't make the rules. And my careful schedule is at best a suggestion.

I am not in control.

But I know the One who is.

And that makes a world of difference.

Multitude Monday 3

There is something wonderful about praising and thanking God. I want to be purposefully thankful with specifics, even though there are generalities and always things that I am thankful for such as God, my salvation, my husband, my girls all count and are the always ones, I want to find the rare gems in each week that are unique to that day, to that time, and note them.

I want to purposefully and wholeheartedly thank and praise God for His goodness to me!

So here is some of what I am thankful for from this past week:

16. The blazing heat broke a bit for the weekend, and it is actually a cool morning here! This is huge because the girls do not handle lots of heat well and we all sleep better with the windows open!

17. God is faithful, God is always good. Last week was crazy and overwhelming, but this truth kept me going...along with God's grace!

18. I get to put baby to sleep in sleepers and pajamas. Okay, I guess this is not a new one, but after 17 weeks of nights in a harness (treatment for hip dysplasia), it is still something I enjoy.

19. My husband has a job with a reliable pay check. This is something I am often tempted to take for granted, but in this economy it is a very special blessing.

20. Baby pulled herself up to standing. A bit late by normal standards, but with the hip dysplasia she was a bit behind. She is now all caught up, and her biggest cheerleader is her sister.

21. Sunday supper of pancakes and blueberry syrup and the happy smiles all around and Miss Pear (4 yrs) singing Breakfast for Dinner.

22. Miss Pear singing praise to God just because she can.

23. Miss Pear and Baby's pot's and pan's band using my canning pot...loud and really stinking cute!

Being Tired Pays Off!

I can see it! I can see that little tooth that is almost through and is causing Baby such frustration! But it is not in.

So it has been a bit of a week with the yuck going around, the teething, the accompanying not sleeping, the heat and the too long to do list, and I am tired. Not that grumpy stay away from me tired (although I am sure I have had my moments), but that good mommy tired where it is worth it.

This morning I was planning on making a super simple Campbell's soup recipe because some friends gave us zucchini. And as I read the recipe I realized that it called for Golden Mushroom soup, not Cream of Mushroom. And for the life of me I could not decide of a straight substitution would work or if I could do something to the soup to make it like golden mushroom. Seriously could not figure this out.

So I did what anyone would do.

I called Campbell's Soup.

The lady was so helpful.

And she said a straight substitution would work.

And then said she wanted to mail me a coupon so our next can of soup was on her.

I said thank you.

(But if you know how to make cream of mushroom into golden mushroom, please let me know!)

Here we go again follow up....

....here I said that we were having a bit of a time of it and I would be missing for most of this week.

But I just had to pop in and tell you what happened. As of this morning, my coffee maker is officially dead.

It has served me well for 4 years, but has no sense of timing.

Fortunately it was bought as a gift for me at Williams Sonoma, so they are going to replace it, but I still have to be without a coffee maker in the interim. Good thing we have a cappuccino maker!

But it does just figure!

Multitude Monday 2

There is something wonderful about praising and thanking God. I want to be purposefully thankful with specifics, even though there are generalities and always things that I am thankful for such as God, my salvation, my husband, my girls all count and are the always ones, I want to find the rare gems in each week that are unique to that day, to that time, and note them.

I want to purposefully and wholeheartedly thank and praise God for His goodness to me!

So here is some of what I am thankful for from this past week:

11. Baby is teething, she is growing and thriving! And while it breaks my heart to see her hurt, I rejoice in the Lord's growth of her. I love how she snuggles in and settles down, suddenly content to snuggle with me.

12. Baby and Miss Pear's joy in each other. Their squeals of delight are often ear splitting, but their love for each other is beautiful!

13. All the homeschooling purchases, including school supplies, are made for the fall. Miss Pear is so curious about everything, it is wonderful to teach her!

14. 10 quarts of pickles made for the winter...9 of 10 jars sealed. 2 of them are made with cucumbers from our little garden!

15. My 4 year old running up to me and just wanting to give me a hug, which she does, before running off again.

Here we go again...

....Baby teething, again, or is it still. Poor darling is having a horrible time cutting her top two teeth. We can see them, they just refuse to either come out or stop bothering her.

....Miss Pear is sneezing like crazy, never a good sign.

....My sinuses are painfully sore.

....Projects are sky high somehow.

....The top of my desk is missing again.

....I really need more of God right now, even more than I need more sleep.

We will definitely be missing from the bloggy world a fair bit of this week, and will be back less than every week day for a while after that...until I get caught up on some of these projects....

If you have a comment languishing in my email, please be patient, I promise I will get to it in between wiping noses and making birthday invitations and reading lots of books to the girls (best thing to cure what ails them!)