Happy New Year!!!

My you have a wonderful 2011!

Keep in the Word,

Ladies Christmas Tea and Cookie Exchange 12/11/10

On December 11th I hosted a Ladies Tea and Cookie Exchange for the ladies at church.
There were about 30 something in attendance. It was a fun time of fellowship, crazy hats, both touching and funny stories, delicious cookies and tasty food. Here are some pictures...

Ladies Christmas Tea and Cookie Exchange 12/11/10

Good Morning Girls!

Good Morning!
This morning is the start of my Good Morning Girls Group. I came across the idea at http://www.womenlivingwell-courtney.blogspot.com/
great blog by the way :)

Makes me acountable for my quiet time with God and is a way to connect with other sisters in Christ.

This morning was also the start of me trying to get up earlier. I usually have my quiet time after my husband leaves at 7:30 but by getting up 6:00- 6:30 ( it was closer to 6:30 :0 ) I have my time with God, time with my husband and then can start on my daily to do's maybe even get them all done before my little boy wakes up. Please pray I can stick to this time. I am not a morning person. Love being awake so early but my body hates it!

God Bless, Have a great day :)

Banana Bread Surprise!

My little boy loves banana bread. He could eat it all day long! So this morning before he woke I made him 8 mini loaves for this week. He was so happy when I handed him a slice for breakfast. I love being a Mom <3

secrets to a happy home life

What are some of the secrets of happy home life?

The answer might be given in one word—Christ.

Christ at the marriage-altar;

Christ on the bridal journey;

Christ when the new home is set up;

Christ when the baby is born;

Christ when a child dies;

Christ in the pinching times;

Christ in the days of plenty;

Christ in the nursery, in the kitchen, in the parlor;

Christ in the toil and in the rest;

Christ along all the years;

Christ when the wedded pair walk toward the sunset gates;

Christ in the sad hour when farewells are spoken,

and one goes on before and the other stays, bearing the unshared grief.

Christ is the secret of happy home life.

-JR Miller, Secrets of Happy Home Life, 1894

fun day of learning

Baby Home Schooling

Since my son turned a year old I have been homeschooling him. Your probably thinking... " is she crazy? he is a baby!" well, I am not. haha Of course I know he is too young for math, reading, writing all of that, but during baby schooling I am teaching him numbers, shapes, colors, to listen ( as best an 18 month old can) where his tummy is and feet. This time also gives us amazing bonding time, just him and I.
Today we stacked blocks, colored a Christmas picture, learned numbers, and because its Christmas week had a surprise.... bubbles! Mickey bubbles! he loved it!

Goals

Last night I couldn't sleep so I found a pen and some paper and decided to write my loving husband a letter to let him know how much a love him. While doing this I realized I should be doing things like this more to let him know how much he is appreciated. Long story kind of short, I made a list of goals I want to accomplish daily. Here they are:

1. Stick to a devotion time as a family. Some days it will be Logan and I in the morning having devotions, sometimes nightly as a family, sometimes just prayertime. I would love to have it be together as a family, with prayer, songs and bible reading.

2. Get up earlier to have more time to read my Bible.

3. Stick to my " 6 things to do list" and dont get stressed out if I don't accomplish more than those in a day.

4. Exercise atleast 1/2 hr. every day.

5. Drink LOTS of water every day no excuses! ( it gets very dry here and its starting to show in my skin.)

6. Take my vitamins daily.

7.Bless husband daily. Whether it be a letter of appreciation, his favorite meal, a back rub, a lending ear...

8.Speak softer and kinder.

10.Stick to a routine as much as possible.

11. Logan baby schooling every morning.

I know I will fail some days but I pray I will be able to follow this as much as possible

Loving our Husbands

This was written by a lady over at " a wise woman builds her home "



What things are drawing your heart away from loving your husband?

I mean REALLY loving your husband?
We can be so distracted by the meaningless. Thinking that these things matter but they really don't.
I was created to be my husband's helpmeet, but I need to constantly examine how I am doing in this area.
I need to look at my life through his eyes to see how I am doing.

I want to live a quiet life.

A simple life

and be busy with my hands.

And be busy with that which pleases the Lord.

I want to use my hands to build a home.
I want younger women to know that we can do many good things, many meaningful things--but we must do the FIRST things that God has called us to and that is to be a helpmeet and to love respect our husbands. It is so easy to get off track, myself included. The homeschooling, the children, the house, the list can be endless while our husbands quietly take a back seat out of love for us.

I want to bring him good and not harm all the days of his life.

Lord, help me to do just that

Mud Pie!

The name brings me back to my childhood, playing out in the yard with my younger brothers making mud pies aka dirt pies...fun times.

This pie on the other hand contains no dirt, only delicious ingredients all edible and will make you want to eat the entire pie yourself. It's true, this pie has the power to make one selfish and ones hip large. Just so you know.

3/4 cups of crushed Nilla wafers
1/2 up pecans
2 tbsp. butter, melted

Combine and flatten into a pie dish, bake 10 mins ( 375) ,cool

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cup whipped topping ADD GENTLY

Combine pour on top cool pie crust

Mix
1 3/4 cup cold milk
1 large pkg. chocolate instant pudding mix

Spoon onto cheese mixture

top with more whipped cream and a few pecans. WOW!

Sunday School Tree...finished!

Pionner Woman Cinnamon Rolls!!!!!!!

For Thanksgiving I made the Pioneer Womans cinnamon rolls. Boy oh boy those things were good! Good but fattening, but let's focus on the good shall we.

• 1 quart Whole Milk
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 packages Active Dry Yeast
• 8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
• Plenty Of Melted Butter
• 2 cups Sugar
• Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
• _____
• MAPLE FROSTING:
• 1 bag Powdered Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
• ½ cups Milk
• ¼ cups Melted Butter
• ¼ cups Brewed Coffee
• ⅛ teaspoons Salt

Preparation Instructions

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).

When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees (see note below) until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don’t skimp on the frosting.

Note: My rolls don’t work for me at 400 degrees anymore. I now bake them at 375 degrees.

Teaching Children to Listen

I came across this on a website I often visit and thought I would share.

EAR TRAINERS

Part 1

"The ear that hears the reproof of life abides among the wise. He that refuses instruction despises his own soul: but he that hears reproof gets understanding"
(Proverbs 15:31-32).

What is the first thing we should teach our children? When I ask women this question at seminars they give me lots of very good answers, but usually not the one I am looking for. What is my answer? I believe that the first thing we teach our children is how to listen.

If children do not learn how to hear, they will not learn to obey. If they do not learn to listen, they will not learn to hear the voice of God speaking to them. If they do not learn the art of listening, they will not learn to acquire knowledge. If they do not learn how to hear, they will not come to faith, because "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17). How you train your children to hear will determine their relationship with God!

It is possible to hear but not really hear. That's why Jesus constantly said, "He that has ears to hear, let him hear." We have to learn to listen with our ears but this takes training. All parents are ear trainers. By the way we parent; we train our children to have obedient ears-or, disobedient ears, lazy ears, dull ears, defiant ears, resistant ears, gullible ears or even forgetful ears. What kind of ears are you training your children to have? When you ask them to do something but they take no notice of you, you are training them to have defiant ears. When you ask them to do something but they delay doing it, they have dull ears. When you ask them to do something, but they don't bother doing it until you have asked for the sixth time and by now you are shouting, you are telling them that they do not have to obey until the sixth time! You are producing lazy ears. What will God have to do to get their attention?

What kind of ears does God want our children to have?

SHAMA EARS

When God told Solomon that he could ask God for anything he liked, Solomon responded by asking for "an understanding heart" (1 Kings 3: 9). The margin in my Bible gives "hearing" for "understanding." The Hebrew word is shama and means, "to hear with attention and obedience, to give undivided listening attention." This is what Solomon wanted more than anything else, more than riches and fame-a hearing heart. May God give us wisdom to teach our children how to have hearing hearts.

The word shama is synonymous with obedience. Proverbs 25:12 says, "As an ear ring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a wise reprover to an obedient (shama) ear."

Proverbs 1:5 says, "A wise man will hear, and will increase learning." There is no way we can teach our children to be wise without teaching them to hear with undivided attention.

QASHAV EARS

When King Saul disobeyed the word of the Lord, the prophet Samuel came to him and said, "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken (qashav) than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." (1 Samuel 15:22-23).

The word qashav describes acute hearing. It means "to prick up the ears, sharpening them like an alert animal." Children with qashav ears will be ready for God to use as soldiers in His army.

TACHUS EARS

James 1:19 says, "Let every man be swift (tachus) to hear." This Greek word means, "prompt or ready." Most Bibles translate it as "quick to hear." It describes instant obedience. True hearing results in immediate action. I used to say to my children, "Delayed obedience is disobedience."

How do we teach our children this kind of hearing? As soon as they can understand a command, we teach them to obey that command. But before they can obey, we must make sure that they have heard us. Sometimes, you may have to get your little child to repeat your command to make sure they have heard you. Don't yell commands from another room. Always give commands eye to eye and face to face so that you know your children have heard what you ask them to do. When you know that they have heard, teach them how to obey straight away. Don't accept anything less. This takes time and effort, but remember, mother, you are an ear trainer! This is one of your most important tasks as a parent!

May God help us to be parents who train prompt and obedient hearers.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Oh God, please forgive me for not diligently training the ears of my children. Please help me to train children who have obedient ears. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I am a diligent ear trainer!

Salisbury Steak recipe finally!

Patties:

2 slices of soft white bread, cubed, crusts removed
1/4 up finely chopped onion
1 egg
1 tbsp. onion soup mix
1 tbsp. tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 lbs. lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 tbsp. olive oil

add all but meat and oil in a large mixing bowl; mix well. add beef; mix well. shape into six oval shaped patties. about 1/4 inches thick. add oil to skillet. place patties in skillet and cook 3-4 minutes on each side or just until brown.
place in baking dish.
preheat oven to 350.
for the sauce I use a can of mushroom gravy ( NOT cream of mushroom) poured it over the patties and cooked until no longer pink.

* next time I want to use more gravy

homemade salisbury steak oh my!

Cold nights need warm food. What's even better is warm, comfort food. So tonight I decide to make some homemade salisbury steak and boy oh boy wasn't it delicious! My only complaint with this dish is to make more gravy next time, i like to put some on my potatoes. it is super easy to make, low cost and without the high sodium like the freezer kind. This recipe made 5 patties. I probably could have made them flatter but....I didn't.

need to get something off my chest...

Maybe I should keep my opinions to myself....? I tend to be too outspoken when it comes to what I believe. I don't have all the answers and I am insanely hard on myself. I just know what I feel God wants me to do, and what I am convicted of. I am not trying to push the way I want to live on others but merely just explain how I feel. Ok, needed to vent haha

biblical homemaking

Women today need to be taught the true meaning and behold the vision of what biblical motherhood stands for. There is nothing more breathtakingly beautiful than a mother that truly loves the Lord, passionately embraces her family and home and understands her noble and blessed purpose on earth.

This mother does not allow the world to steal away from her what she has been uniquely made for and she rejects the worlds misleading definition of what motherhood looks like....high power career, colossal home, newest car, perfect children. The infamous misleading notion of being able to have it all.

Never divulging the high price it comes at.

And truth be told, she already has it all.

And the wise mother knows it,
whether she is young or old
rich or poor,

and
her heart
is
happy
and
simply

content.


http://proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com/search/label/Homemaking

Where is our heart?

Jesus said, " For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."Luke 12:34
What is my heart focused on? Do you resent the work you do at home and for your family? Where is you treasure? I put so much time each week into my home and in ministry at church and helping my extended family but sometimes feels like it goes unnoticed.
Being a wife and Mother can sometimes be a thankless job.
We need to seek our joy in God not people. Jesus is the joy of our salvation. If we trust in others to make us feel worthy we will at some point be disappointed.
I am learning this. I try too hard at times to " impress" instead of doing the work for the Lord I want to feel appreciated.
Serving others should bring us joy from the depths of our hearts, just for the act of serving not because of the praise we receive.
We need to set our priorities on where God wants them to be.
~
1. God
2. Husband
3. Children
4. Home

I have this printed and in my household notebook to help me remember where my heart and priorities should be set on if I start to get off track. It has helped a a lot.

God should be our #1. We should seek him out daily, pray without ceasing, have a close personal relationship with him.
Our husbands should be our #2 priority. God tells us in his word for husbands to love their wives and wives to love their husbands. Someday when the kids are grown and starting lives of their own, husbands and wives will need each other. Now is the time to build a strong foundation.
Children should be our # 3 priority. We are giving these gifts to raise and we should put all we can into helping them grow. Teaching them from the scriptures and loving them.
Next is the home. Although it is very important to keep a clean organized home it should not come before the husband or children. I have to discipline myself when it comes to this. I tend to spend too much time making sure everything looks perfect when I should be spending that extra time with my family. We are not too forget the housework all together though. God gave us this as our ministry.
We should pray to God to take control over our lives and get our priorities right.

RIP Uncle Ronnie

so thankful God saved a sinner like me and those who are saved and have passed on, we can see one day in Heaven! :)
Last night my Uncle Ronald ( dads brother) went to be with the Lord. I wish I would have gotten the chance to know him better. The only Aunts and Uncles I have are on my Dads side of the family but we never see each other for many different reasons.
I do know he had been very sick lately and in a lot of pain. Now he is rejoicing in Heaven along side his brother ( my dad) and they can see each other once again :) and Mark gets to meet them both :)

Walking the streets of gold...

This past October 15th my brother n law and friend went to be with the Lord. I miss him so. He was a fantastic uncle to Logan. He was funny with a big heart. I still remember the first words he ever said to me " whats up! I'm Mark the better looking brother" haha I miss his jokes and even him picking on me. After I had my son, this one day I was having a really tough time and couldnt stop crying. I felt I was in over my head, second guessing myself, missing my husband, just having a bad day...well Mark came up and said " Matt
said your not doing so good today, I just wanted to tell you not to give up, your a great Mom to Logan" He gave pep talks like that often, if he saw I was having a crappy day. :)
It hurts to see my family in pain. I couldn't imagine losing my son.
In dealing with all that's happened though they remain strong in their faith in the Lord. They are such a testimony.

RIP Mark Sean Quinlan <3

till we all meet in Heaven someday...

a proper lady

My favorite movies are those from the 40s era. One of the things you may notice from that time in movies is the way the woman dressed and acted, lady-like. Most talked quietly, dressed modest, just acted much differently then the women of our time now. Now-a-days young and older woman dress very immodest, loud, rude, dirty not very lady like at all! I think as christians we should stand out from the world and start acting like woman should. The other day I came across a blog written by a christian lady, I forgot her name. She wrote about being a " proper lady " Here is what she said....

on the outside:

1. Carry ourselves with good posture not slouching.
2. Dress Modestly.
3. Look clean and well kept.
4. Clothes in good repair.
5. Dress Feminenly.
6. Smell Lovely.
7. Peaceful countenance and joyful demeanor.

interior:

1. Gentle and quiet spirit.
2. Love, joy, peace and patience.
3. Discretion- careful not to say something out of turn!
4. Unselfishness.
5. Purity
6. Humility.
7. Kindness, Goodness, and Faithfulness.
8. Self-control
9. Sobriety
10. Grace and Mercy
11. Godly Character.

Pw Dinner Rolls

Ingredients

• 4 cups Milk
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil
• 9 cups Flour
• 2 packages (4 1/2 Tsp.) Active Dry Yeast
• 1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
• 2 Tablespoons Salt

Preparation Instructions

Pour 4 cups of milk into a stock pot or Dutch oven. Add one cup of sugar and 1 cup of vegetable oil. Stir to combine. Now, turn the burner on medium to medium-low and “scald” the mixture/lukewarm (between 90 and 110 degrees).

Before the mixture boils, turn off the heat. NOW. Very important stuff here: walk away. Walk away and allow this mixture to cool to warm/lukewarm. The mixture will need to be warm enough to be a hospitable environment for the yeast, but not so hot that it kills the yeast and makes it inactive. I don’t usually use a thermometer, but if you’d like to, a good temperature is between 90 and 110 degrees. I usually feel the side of the pan with the palm of my hand. If it’s hot at all, I wait another 20 minutes or so. The pan should feel comfortably warm.

When the mixture is the right temperature add in 4 cups of flour and 2 packages of (4-1/2 teaspoons) of active dry yeast. After the yeast and flour are nicely incorporated, add another 4 cups of flour. Stir together and allow to sit, covered with a tea towel or lid, for an hour. After about an hour it should have almost doubled in size. If it hasn’t changed much, put it in a warm (but turned off ) oven for 45 minutes or so. When it had risen sufficiently add 1 more cup of flour, 1 heaping teaspoon of baking powder, 1 scant teaspoon of baking soda and about 2 tablespoons of salt. Stir (or knead just a bit) until combined.

Butter 1 or 2 muffin pans. Form the rolls by pinching off a walnut sized piece of dough and rolling it into a little ball. Repeat and tuck three balls of dough into each buttered muffin cup. Continue until pan is full. Cover and allow to rise for about 1 to 2 hours.

Bake in a 400-degree oven until golden brown, about 17 to 20 minutes.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Sliders!

Yum, and oh yes yum! This burgers are sweet, juicy and the crispy bacon adds some nice crunch.
I first came up with this by searching my refrigerator and cupboards trying to figure out what to do with the boneless chicken breasts I had thawed out. I noticed some McDonald's sweet and sour packs and thought "why not, tastes good with nuggets" So after cutting the chicken into mini burger size I marinated each piece in the sauce and set in the refrigerator for about an hour. After that I put the bacon in the oven ( tip: for flat, non shrinking, crispy bacon place on cookie sheet with another cookie sheet over top. until half way cooked then remove.) while thats cooking up I grill my chicken.
Once both are done I add a little mozzarella cheese to melt on top of chicken then place onto bakery dinner rolls cut in half put some extra sweet and sour over the buger with some bacon and TA DA! you have the most amazing chicken burger ever...and your welcome ;)

Aprons!

http://proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com/ Marie-Madeline Studio is a wonderful mother-daughter team (four
daughters to be exact) that sews the most delightful one-of-a-kind
aprons, skirts, bags, patterns with the most simply gorgeous fabrics.
When I first laid eyes on their products I was immediately smitten! You
will be too...just ...take a peek: They are having a giveway!

Pulled BBQ Pork

This was some of the best pulled pork I have ever had! Even if your not a fan of pork or pulled pork you will LOVE this recipe...I guarantee it... or your money back.
I tend to just throw ingredience together and hope for the best so I had to sit down and estimate how much of each I used....this is what I came up with. Enjoy!

2 tbl. onion soup mix
1/2 cup. cooking sherry
3 tbl. soy sauce
1 tbl, garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup water

Cook on low for about 7 hrs or until falling apart.
Once cooked shred pork and place in lg. casserole dish.
Add BBQ sauce of our choice. Cook in oven at 350 for about 20 mins.

I served on Fresh Dinner Rolls from the bakery.

this is a photo of the whoopie pies. I have been having problems uploading photos lately.

Peanut Butter Filled Whoopie Pies... need I say more?

Lately I have been craving whoopie pies. They are not healthy by any means but its worth it. I have had a box of dark chocolate cake mix sitting in my cupboard so I decided today to whip up a batch. Not having the ingredience for my normal filling I came up with a peanut butter filling. Boy are those things tasty!!

RECIPE for Peanut Butter Filled Whoopie Pies

1 box of chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup water
3 tbl oil
2 eggs

with a tiny scoop, scoop onto cookie sheet.
bake at 350 for 10 mins

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup confectioners sugar
3 tbl butter

mix and spread onto one cookie top with the other.

SIMPLE! and delicious. Enjoy!

The Proverbs 31 Wife notes from my Bible study I would like to share

Part 2

"The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her..." Proverbs 31:11

Heart meaning: Emotions, Desires, Passions, Seat of Courage.

Safely Trust: to have confidence in, to be secure,to trust, to be careless.

It's not just wives that need to feel secure,husbands need to as well. It is very important that a husband is able to trust his wife.

Communication is very important. After the Lord our husbands should come first.

We are to show respect everyday to our husbands, love them, take care of all their needs.

Part 3

" She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life." Proverbs 31:12

Wife Job Description:

Pleasant
Happy
Agreeable
Understanding
Kind
Beneficial
Bountiful
Prosperous
Becoming
Moral

Happiness comes from within and a close walk with the Lord. A person can only "act" cheerful for so long.

Being cheerful and joyful lifts our husbands up, puts them in a better mood, as well as everyone around us.

The Proverbs 31 Wife

I love Proverbs 31. As a semi-newlywed Married 2 years this October I have found this chapter of the Bible to be extremely helpful in teaching me how to be a better wife and now Mom. I have also found online many Bible studies that teach on the Proverbs 31 woman and have learned so much from them. I am still learning every time I read the same verses again and again. I would like to share with you some of what I have learned about being a Virtuous Woman, although I am still a work in progress.

PART 1

"Who can find a Virtuous Woman for her price is far above rubies" Proverbs 31:10

We are not superheros I definitely am not one! I struggle each and everyday trying to get it all done and have time with my Lord and my family. I am a list person, I make one for almost everything. I use to make a to do list for each day so I could get what I needed to done and I would have focus. What I learned was I really cant do it alone no matter how much I plan. I have to pray everyday for God to guide my steps. You know what?...He will, trust me.

A Virtuous Woman is up for anything the Lord gives her. She is not lazy.

Describing the Virtuous Woman: Efficient, Strong, Able, Organized, Ready and with a Meek and Quiet Spirit.

Something I work on daily is to speak softly and practice patience. With a baby now, I dont want him picking up my bad habit of getting over stressed and flustered easily. My prayer is for a calm, quiet attitude.

This verse really touches my heart. Its says " Far above rubies" Rubies are beautiful and worth alot. God thinks we are above that. How wonderful to know how much the Lord loves us!

Christian Mother Series

I have learned so much from this website. There are studies and tips.

12 new things...

I am a fan of a blog called A Wise Woman Builds Her Home. http://proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com/ it teaches about all sorts of things..how to be a godly wife, mom, how to be a better homemaker, gives recipes etc. It was from that blog that I came across another called A Warm Cup Of Coffee. The blogger, a mom of 3 and a lovely christian lady came up with a list called the 12 new things. Its a new skill or something she wants to work on. She encouraged others to make up their own 12 things and I want to be one of them. So here goes....here is my 12 things.

1- Get my license. Yes I know, I am 26 without a license. Its true.
2- Learn how to stick to a home schedule. I am not a believer of nap this time snack right on the dot this day sort of thing but I thrive on structure somewhat.
3-Learn how to sew an apron.
4-Master the art of homemade bread..without a machine.
5-Learn how to pump gas...this goes back to the no license thing. Just never had to do it.
6-Show my husband he is loved and respected by doing something special for him every day.
7-Learn how to eat healthy, inexpensively.
8-Learn to speak softly and patience.
9-Learn how to make christmas pjs for Logan.
10-Scrapbook. I have always wanted to put a book together of the time my husband and I dated, married and one for my son.
11-Learn to play an instrument.
12- Learn how to organize and daily use my household notebook.

If your wondering what the picture is at the top of the blog, its my neice Lexie who was baptized yesturday morning. Praise the Lord!

homemade pizzas can taste good!

Boxed dough. Have you heard of the stuff? The kind of pizza dough where you add water to a powdered mix, form it into a ball add pounds of flour and roll it out into a sort of pizza shape.
I grew up on the stuff. At only like .50 cents a box it seems like the best choice for large families.
Well, at 25 years old, married and doing my own grocery shopping I stumbled across something great...premade pizza dough! Just like the pizza places use. At only 1.00 each that's a good deal! True the box doughs are cheaper but it takes 2 boxes at least to make one large pizza compared to only 1 premade! less roll out time and easier to work with. I became a fast fan.
My husband and I love pizza. In particular, BBQ and Buffalo Chicken. Its super easy to make, less greasy as the standard pepperoni and tastes amazing.

Recipes for Buffalo Chicken Pizza and BBQ Chicken Pizza.

For 2 pizzas I use 2 chicken breasts. ( I use boneless) Premade dough from Walmart. Texas Pete's Buffalo Wing Sauce and Sweet Baby Rays brown sugar bbq sauce.
First I cooked the chicken on either the grilled for that extra smokey flavor or just simply on the stove top. Add a alittle salt and pepper for taste, some liquid smoke found in Walmart with the sauces.
Once chicken is cooked I put half in one bowl half in another. In one bowl goes the BBQ sauce in the other the buffalo sauce. Simple isn't it? :)
Roll out the dough and place in a pizza pan as normally would when making pizza. Spread sauce over individual doughs next adding Low Fat Mozzarella Cheese. After that the chicken.
Cook on 375 until golden brown and cheese melted.

Enjoy!

For something different I make cal zones. Made the same as far as layering, the difference... Place ingredients on one side of dough brush edge of dough with egg fold other side over and pinch with fork making a design all the way around the edges. Make slit on top for steam to escape during cooking. Brush with Olive Oil. Cook same temp.

Healthy Brownie pictures!

The healthy brownie vs. the good ones

I don't eat all that healthy, its true I will admit it. I would love to say I can keep myself from sweets (before becoming pregnant I could... now?...that's laughable!) People have said "well if you eat the junk foods in moderation and not too often whats the big deal?" well, that works for some but for me, I like to snack and if its in the house I will snack at night on it. As of late I am turning a new leaf...I want to be healthy, have more energy just feel better. I want to teach my son to eat better.
So I have been trying to find new recipes. One I came across today for brownies caught my eye so I thought I would give it a try...I did but half way through mixing it up realized I didn't have all the ingredients I needed so I kinda made up my own as I went along. I have to say it came out pretty good. :)
Very chocolate, fixes the sweet tooth and I feel better knowing I am eating better whats not to like?

Recipe for Healthy Brownies

1/2 cup Flour (I used Unbleached)
2 Tbl Unsweetened Cocoa
1/4 tsp. Baking soda
Sift together in a bowl

In separate bowl Melt 6 tbl cocoa with 1 tbl. Real Butter
add
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 lg egg
1 egg white
6 tbl applesauce ( I used baby food applesauce)
1 tsp Vanilla

cook at 350 for 24 minutes

Exploring the World of Homemade Cleaning Products

I am new to this blogging thing so forgive me for my terrible writing I AM NOT a writer just someone who loves sharing ideas on parenting, cooking and trying my best to be the wife God wants me to be. I also love getting tips, recipes any any advice on raising a baby you can give.

Lately I have been doing some research on homemade cleaners. Once my son was born I did not feel comfortable spraying harsh chemicals near him or filling our home with strong smells. I had heard going homemade is also cheaper and I love a good deal. After searching online I decided to go with an all-purpose cleaner, glass cleaner and disinfectant. Now by switching to homemade I have lost the strong chemical odor and replaced it with a strong vinegar scent. Not a bad switch though considering the white vinegar smell vanishes after it dries which is about 5-10 minutes..not bad.
The glass cleaner is fantastic! Dries itself, cleans spotless...ah mazing! The disinfectant I have yet to try. My sister gave me the recipe and says Dr. Oz swears by it. I will give it a try and let you know the results. The savings are around 1.50 saved on each product another added bonus!

Recipe for All - Purpose Cleaner

1 cup Vinegar
1 cup Water

EASY!

Recipe for Window Cleaner

1 cup Rubbing Alcohol
1 cup Water
1 tbl. White Vinegar

Another money saver I have just tried out is Homemade Baby Wipes. I love them. Money saved around 1. 70 per week for my family! I think they work better then store bought wipes but you will have to try them out yourself and see what you think.

Baby Wipes

2 cups Water
2 tbl. Baby Oil
1 tbl. Rubbing Alcohol