Prairie Girl Wanna Be

David and I have started something new this week.  Seems like January has brought lots of good changes in our household and we want to do more:) 

He read a little book which I’m sure many of you have read.  It is not anything new but I have never read it.  It is by Bruce Wilkinson entitled “The Prayer of Jabez“.  I have heard of this “prayer” for years but didn’t remember what was in it. (I’m sure you can buy it at the Christian bookstore - it’s very small - probably aroun $6) 

This little book took me one hour to read and let me tell you it is packed full!  I am amazed!  David read it Saturday and told me we needed to begin praying this prayer in our home.  So I read it this past week and I was so impressed with it that I have copied it and put a copy where we can see it daily and pray it. 

 The author challenges you to pray this prayer for 30 days and he explains the prayer in his little book.  David and I have taken that challenge. 

In one week, I am already seeing ways God is opening up things in our lives!  I’m not kidding!   He also says to keep a journal so I started writing down on a notepad things just from this past week and I couldn’t believe it.  

I have been a Christian for 43 years.  I have never known a time in my life without Jesus.  I grew up in church hearing the stories of Jesus.  Then I asked Him into my heart at a very young age and became a Christian in name but didn’t really know what that would involve. 

I believe we are wrong to tell people to just say a prayer and ask Him in your heart and that’s all it takes.  No, that is not all it takes.  Yes that’s the first step but we better be willing to put our hand to the plow and to me that means work:)  Not that we work to get to Him but because we love Him we want to do things that would please Him. 

This is hard!  I think it gets harder cause as we grow the way sure does get narrower.  We have to cull things out of our life that we know He just would not like and that means we gotta not be selfish and boy is that a hard one for me!  But I love this Christian walk.  I love knowing that Jesus loves me!  I love being guided by Him and listening to people that love Him. 

My aunt that passed away this past summer was the godliest person I know.  I mean it!  As we went thru her things, I asked my cousin, why was she so peaceful, so kind, so gentle.  I know she loved God but I love God and I’m as highstrung as they come!  So what was it and her daughter said that everything she read, everything she watched, everything she listened to was about God.  She was absolutely bathed in the things of God daily.  She didn’t give evil a chance to take place in her heart. 

I want to be more like that.  I am trying to listen to good teaching on t.v.  There are so many preachers that are just plain weird and off track that you have to be careful but I try to listen in the mornings to some that encourage me as I’m getting ready for the day. (Then I shut it off - and mute those commercials - they are horrible!!)  Our computer is in the kitchen so while I cook or clean I listen to James Dobson’s radio guests (www.focusonthefamily.com) or Beth Moore (www.lproof.org) .  You can go to their websites and listen free.  The things we listen to really do matter.

I am trying to read more things about God and be in His Word more consistently.  I want to be more like Him.  I mean it…that’s the bottom line….it’s my hearts desire.  Even on the days, I feel like I’m flying apart.  Even on the days that I can’t get things done and I”m stressed.  Even then, especially then…I want to be what God  meant for me to be when He created me. 

What did He have in mind for me?  What was His plan that He wanted me to do while I lived on this earth.  That’s what I want to tap into and do. 

Sooooo all that to say, my hubby and I are being accountable to each other to pray this prayer for 30 days and read the book once a week for four weeks.  We are excited to say the least to see what God will do if we can get out of the way and let Him work! 

Here’s the prayer.  I color coded it so that I would really “see” each section as I read it.  We have it on the refrigerator, on the laundry room door and in the bathroom.  We also have a small one to put in our bibles.  Warning: Don’t assume by reading this that you understand it.  I thought it was very simple but when “blessing” and “territory” were explained to me that were NOT what I thought they were.

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying,

“Oh, that You would bless me indeed,

And enlarge my territory,

That Your hand would be with me,

And that You would keep me from evil,

That I may not cause pain.”

So God granted him what he requested.

1 Chronicles 4:9-10

Talk to ya later:)

Here’s the easiest way ever to serve fruit to your family.  Just use whatever fruit you have on hand ~ fresh, frozen or canned.  Put it in bowls or glass dessert dishes and pour some vanilla yogurt on top.  Isn’t this pretty?  

I’ve got mandarin oranges and pinepple, both canned because I was out of fresh.  I always buy Stonyfield Organic yogurt and this was French Vanilla which is very good.  My crew loved it!

Now about the dishes….for those of you who want the “rest of the story”.  These were my paternal grandmother’s and if I’m not mistaken I believe she got them from oatmeal. 

You used to buy oatmeal and they would put real glasses in the boxes.  We had a whole set at our house of juice glasses and regular glasses.  Not plastic, mind you but real glass.  They were very pretty as  you can see.  They all had this cutwork design on them. 

I “found” these during my cabinet cleaning, ran them thru the dishwasher and decided it was time to use them. 

Why do we keep our pretty things for “later”?  When is later gonna come?  It’s time to pull out the china and the pretty dishes that you’ve been storing and use them.  Shock that family of yours.  Set the table before they get in and just see if you don’t get a reaction when it looks different than usual. 

I’m back on my soapbox again about the “little things” that matter.  They really do make a difference and even it only makes us feel better then so be it!

Have a great day!

Luke was running past the table to go outside and play when he saw this….he just stopped and said “ohhhhh”:)  He ALWAYS notices when I change things.

Well it’s working:)  I’m so glad after all my planning that “the plan” is actually working.  David always says “You don’t plan to fail, you fail to plan”.  He’s right.  This winging it is for the birds:) 

We’ve changed two things around here this January.  One is the meal preparation, which I blogged about last week and the next is our homeschool schedule.

Trent is on a new school schedule that is wonderful.  He changes classes on the hour and anything that he’s not finished with has to be done after school.  In other words, he has homework that has to be done before the next morning.  This was our second week and he is working very well independently.  The best part for him seems to be that if he finishes early he can play a game or go outside.  I told him he had a choice.  If his Bible which begins at 8:00 and ends at 9:00 is completed at 8:30, he can play or go on to the next subject.   Now I would want to get everything done as fast as I could so I would have my work behind me and I could go on to other things but I am not my son.

 Here’s your question for the day.  What do you think a 14 year old boy would choose?????   Go ahead and get all subjects out of the way OR play at the end of each time period?   He hasn’t done ANY thing ahead but he sure has been a lot happier this week and not so argumentative.  I am so thankful this is working.  He also likes doing all of his independent subjects before lunch, having an hour long lunch break and us working together after lunch.

As far as the menu schedule….I’m LOVING it and my family is amazed:)   I made meatballs on beef day cause I forgot to put that on my list and it’s the boys favorite so I just penciled that in on my chart inside my cabinet door.  I just go look up there every morning, pull out my meat to thaw and I have a plan for the day!  It’s wonderful.  I know this sounds so simple minded but I think you just have to do what works for you and this is a workin’!!

Have a great weekend everybody!

Last Friday we had Pizza Night.   We used to always do this on Friday and I’m thinking we need to start it again. 

Luke (9) was with us and he loved it.  We each made our own.  He only wanted cheese but he still liked doing it himself. 

I got the crust recipe from www.heavenlyhomemaker.com and it was sooo easy to work with.  Here it is:  3 1/2 cups, 1 t. salt, 1 cup plain yogurt, 1 cup melted butter.  Just mix it in a bowl, divide and pat into the thickness you desire.  And boy was it yummy!

This was my hubby’s ~ it had deer sausage, black olives, onions and mozzerella cheese.   I used bought Pizza Sauce but you can also mix Italian seasonings in a can of tomato sauce for a healthier version.

This was a larger one for the rest of us.  Mother loves pizza!  I think that’s the neatest thing that my 86 year old mother loves pizza. 

A few years ago, we ordered pizza about 8:00 one night which is unheard of in this household.  We just don’t do that.  At this time Mother was doing good to make it thru her 6:30 show of “Wheel of Fortune”.  She ALWAYS went to bed early.  Well that night, she had gone to bed as usual but when that pizza arrived and we began to eat, we heard this pitty patting down the hall and here she came cause she’d smelled it!  David tried to “block” the boxes so she couldn’t get to them and she just pushed him out of the way:)  (He likes to kid around with her and she loves it!) This little 5′4″ woman got her pizza that night!

I thank the Lord for my mama!  Oh, how grateful I am that she lives with us and knows us and can get around!  What a blessing this is in our lives!

 This is my big roaster that David bought me one year before the holidays.

When we begin to have cold weather,  that’s when I want to make soup. 

Last year Trent gave me a big red soup pot and I love it!  It has a clear lid which makes it even better.  Tonight I am boiling chickens and in the morning I will make chicken stew. 

My family loves stew.  They will eat chili ~ they will eat potato soup ~ but they absolutely LOVE stews!  I can make a huge crock pot full and they will eat the entire thing, bowl after bowl until it is gone. 

The last time I went on a trip I “talked” my hubby thru the directions and he filled my biggest crockpot with this recipe.  He and my mother ate the entire recipe before I got home two days later!   Now ain’t that a praise report ~ first of all that my man would even walk in the kitchen much less make stew and second that he would take care of my mother so I could get away!  I am so very thankful for him:)  Anyway, here’s the recipe and of course some pictures, don’t ‘cha just love pictures on a blog:)

Two chickens - boiled, cooled and all the meat pulled off the bone

broth from cooking those chickens ( strain it, put it in a bowl, let it cool till all the grease floats to the top, now skim that off - I do this the night before - and use all that “goody” on the bottom)

2 - 15oz cans kernal corn

2 quarts canned tomatoes - or those big cans of diced or crushed tomatoes

about 6 - 8 diced potatoes (or more if you want them)

1 tsp. salt

1 red pepper ( don’t eat this - just drop it in and it’ll season that whole pot)

1 large onion (just cut it in half or fourths and put in in pot for flavoring)

Combine all this in a big pot and let it simmer all day or at least all morning so the flavors can mix. 

I usually boil my chickens the night before.  Then I put them on a cookie sheet so they will cool quickly and I can remove all that meat off the bones.  I hate this job so I need to do it right away.  If I ever put them in the fridge thinking I’ll do it the next day I tend to think of other things to do so I can put it off.  I’ve learned to do it quickly. 

While the meat is cooling, pour off the broth into a large bowl.  Run it thru a strainer so you catch what you don’t want and keep what you do want.  Set this in the refrigerator.  In the morning it will be very light yellow on top - just take a spoon and take that top layer off and throw it away.  Now the congealed part is very good broth that you want in your stew pot. 

I put the broth, the chicken and everything else all together in my very big crock pot that my children gave me.  Then I just leave it the entire day.  I have been known to do this on Saturday and let it cook on low even thru Sunday.  They will eat it both days!  

 It’s also great to put in a jar and give away with a loaf of bread:)  It’s a “warm” gift to give, don’t you think?

I am linking today to Gratituesday atwww.heavenlyhomemakers.com  because I am so thankful to have this job of menu planning done and because it is actually working!  I have taped my “schedule” below inside my cabinet where I can just glance at it and know what my plan is for the day.  Soooo for this I am thankful! 

 I am also extremely grateful for godly women trying to manage their homes the way God would have them ~ Laura @ heavenlyhomemakers is one of these women.  Check her out and also some of the ladies that link to her blog. 

I have worked for two nights on menu’s.  I know it shouldn’t take that long but I knew what I wanted to do and couldn’t seem to figure out how to do it.  I am trying to get some sort of plan for making things a little simpler in our day to day living.  I seem to fly by the seat of my britches when it comes to cooking for my family.  It’s ridiculous; it’s crazy; it keeps everything unorganized and weird. 

Now winter seems to be my best time for cooking.  My favorite days are when I don’t have to go anywhere and I can get up, straighten the house, do school with Trent and cook supper.  I like to have the table set so everybody can see that there is a plan at work here.  I like my hubby to smell supper cooking.  BUT I just don’t do this regularly.  I think about it too late and throw something together too fast and I’m just frustrated!!!  Can you tell!!

Sooooo last night I got it done!  I’m gonna share this with you in hopes it may help you a little.  If you want to do something like this, just put in the things your family loves that you make.  I may make other things than these listed but what I needed was something I could put on the inside of my cabinet that I can just go to and know what I”m gonna make.  Trent and Luke absolutely love taco’s but I don’t want them every week so I will have them on the Friday’s they are both here.  Saturday’s are always kind of crazy so I thought if I made it soup day I could put something in the crock pot that morning and we could have it whenever.  I needed Sunday to be very easy.  I have found that I can put spaghetti in my crockpot and when we come in from church it is great! 

I also decided to list my veggie choices and breads (which we don’t have at every meal) so it would help me decide what to add.  Now I’ve studied www.heavenlyhomemakers.com and www.thefamilyhomestead.com to help me get this together.  These two moms have blank menu planners and they will even give you filled in menus for the week.

Do whatever works for you but this is something to help me be a little more efficient around here.  I’m still trying to cull out and simplify and this is another way.

MONDAY – CHICKEN NIGHT  - Chicken & dressing or Chicken & rice or Chicken tenders  (plus two sides below)

TUESDAY - CORNBREAD & BEAN NIGHT  ~ Pintos or Mixed (pintos & great northerns) or Italian Pinto Beans (always have some type of cornbread)

WEDNESDAY – GROUND BEEF NIGHT ~ Meat patties & gravy or Hobo Dinner or Hungry Jack Beef Casserole

THURSDAY –  VEGGIE NIGHT ~  Assorted veggies from list below plus rice or stir fry over rice or blackeye peas & rice plus 2 sides

FRIDAY – PIZZA NIGHT/TACO NIGHT ~ alternate each week pizza and taco’s

SATURDAY – SOUP DAY ~ Chicken stew or Chili or Potato Soup or Homemade Veggie Soup

SUNDAY – CROCKPOT DAY ~ Either Spaghetti or a roast. something I can do in the crock pot.  Also do meatloaf and baked potatoes on this day quite often.

SIDES                                                                              

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE                                                                                                             

BAKED SWEET POTATOES                              

GREEN BEANS                                                                                                                                                           

LIMA BEANS                                                                                                                   

SQUASH/ONIONS/PEPPERS                                                                                                                  

SQUASH CASSEROLE                                                                                                                           

SQUASH CROQUETTES                                                                                                                       

CORN ON THE COB                                                                                                                       

CREAMED CORN                                                 

MIXED CORN                                                      

COOKED APPLES                                                 

APPLE DUMPLINGS

APPLESAUCE (HOMEMADE)

STEAMED BROCCOLI

BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

BROCCOLI SALAD

LAYERED SALAD

ROASTED RED POTATOES

MASHED POTATOES

BAKED POTATOES

BAKED FRIES

COOKED CABBAGE

CABBAGE CASSEROLE

BREADS

CORNBREAD (SKILLET)

CORNBREAD MUFFINS

CORNBREAD STICKS

BISCUITS

SPOON BREAD

SKILLET YEAST ROLLS

HOMEMADE SOURDOUGH

HOMEMADE HONEY WHEAT

Remember ~ do what works for you.  Make a list of what your family likes.  Designate your days and fill it in.  I’ll let you know how this works.  I’m on a roll now.  We’ve changed our school schedule, our eating schedule and I’m still hauling stuff out of the house.  I’ll  take account of how everything is working at the end of the month and will see what I need to change if this “ain’t” workin’!  

I will also try to post some of the above recipes as I go along this year.  Just leave a comment if there is something specific in the list you want posted quickly.  I love your comments.  If I don’t reply please don’t be offended.  I love them!  Please keep letting me know what you like ~ I love doing this and hope it brightens your day:)

Talk to ya later:)

We got it this time!  They predicted it and we got it!  SNOW!  When I went to the grocery store on Thursday there were two carts left!  (I told you!)  

We got our bread.  We got our milk.  And as Daisy Emily advised…we got our toilet tissue.  She said she can do without milk but she ain’t goin’ back to the days of the Sears & Roebuck catalog. 

And if that makes no sense to you then you just ain’t been listening to your kinfolk long enough:) 

This makes me want to cook.  I love this cold outside and warm and cozy feeling inside. 

Thursday night was the BIG GAME - Alabama vs. Texas.  I made Chex mix and homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  We had trail mix & M&M’s that hubby bought at Costco and chips and dip.  Did you see anything remotely healthy in that list?  We are not doing very well around here in the health department since the holidays.  We are “planning” on doing something about that very very soon.

For more info on this subject check out the post on “Alabama Snow”:)

Oh, yeah, and they did close the schools on Thursday and Friday because we had (you guessed it) a full one inch of the white stuff!  BUT there were flurries!  AND they claimed they couldn’t heat the buildings for the children.  AND we did have record low temperatures….so stop laughing!!

Talk to ya later:)

It’s a new year.  I’m working harder than I ever have to declutter this year. 

I am tired of moving “stuff”  and that’s what I tend to do when I clean.  I clean this closet and move all the stuff out of it to ANOTHER closet!  Wow, that was a big help!  I am tired of being bogged down with “stuff”.  I’m ready to lighten my load.  Sooo I am praying. 

I pray before, during and after I clean an area.  My goal this year is to maintain my house better and I just can’t do it anymore working around all this stuff. 

Soo it’s going!  I’ve loaded four boxes up for a yard sale which we’ll do in the spring.  I’ve hauled off two bags to the Salvation Army and I’m not gonna tell you how many times I’ve sent the boys to the outside trash cans with bags of stuff to throw away! 

I’m even going back in the area I’ve just cleaned and asking God to give me eyes to see it the way I should.  Is there anything else I can do without?  Is this gonna help me be more efficient?  I don’t mean this to sound silly, but I believe God sees my heart in this and He knows I want to be better for my family and He honors that.  This is truly working.  I have never had empty shelves or a whole cabinet with nothing in it.  But I have now:)

I have two very simple desires this year.  I want to keep house better and cook better.  I don’t do either one of them the way I should. 

My thoughts on this are this…..where am I at this point in my life?….I’m a wife, a mother, a daughter, a homemaker.  In all this I want to please God.   I believe each of these things are my ministry.  If this is where He has me at this point then this is my mission field, right?  So what I want is to do better in the areas He has placed me and I believe being more consistent in my picking up around our house and doing better in my cooking are the two things I need to center in on. 

So far this week I have thoroughly cleaned out the attic, reorganized the pantry, sorted thru the laundry room and one closet very, very thoroughly.  I also cleaned the living room and kitchen ~ every wall hanging, every dish, threw out old spices, cleaned the outsides and insides of my cupboards and am warning the boys that I’m on my way to their end of the house!!  I’m determined to see a change!

How bout you?  What’s weighing you down?  Can you do something about it?  If you want some great organization help, go to www.thefamilyhomestead.com.  She has a section on organizing your home that is a big help.  Also www.heavenlyhomemakers.com has her ebook on sale that helps with getting your kitchen organized.  I’ve read it and it’s short, to the point and very doable (is that a word?).

Talk to ya later:)

Here is our pitiful little tree.  I say little because it began to shrink as the weeks went by.  My little daughter-in-law said it kind of looked like something out of a Dr. Seuss book!  I totally agree.

I just realized I never posted about our Christmas and I wanted you to know how what worked and what I want to do for 2010.

First of all, I can not overemphasize what the shopping early did for my stress relief!  It was unbelieveable!  That was my biggest help.  Also the wrapping being done before December.  Now that didn’t mean there weren’t things to wrap ~ it just means that the major stuff was out of the way.  Also taking our Christmas photo in September gave me plenty of time to get my cards ready and stuffed; also buying my stamps in October.

One thing I need to do this next Christmas will be to have two baking days in November (I’ve already put them on my calendar).  I needed goodies for several things and I did not get that done ahead.  So this year that will be priority.

I thought I’d post some pictures of the “gang”.  We celebrated the 26th ~ that was the day that we could get everybody here at the same time.   I love all my children being back home.   We had everybody but David’s son who is out of state.  This was David’s first Christmas without him so that was hard but he is coming this week  to hunt with David and watch the big football game so we are looking forward to that.

First ones down the hall (after we woke them up)!

David & Luke enjoying his stocking

Mother finding her candy in her stocking:)

She loves chocolate candy and is always asking the boys “Have you got a candy bar?” - like they carry them around in their pockets or something:)

What is in here??? 

This is my favorite daughter-in-law, Shelly!

She bought me two absolutely awesome purses cause she knows I hate to pick out a purse and she made me a skirt!!  I was just amazed cause I’ve never had anybody make me anything to wear since Mother stopped sewing for me.  It was great!

Here’s the afgan Mother made for Tim and Shelly ~ they loved it!

Breanna & Luke playing video games

Grandmama & Bethany looking at a calendar with pictures.  She’s telling Mother who they are:)

This is what U. Tim & A. Shelly gave Benjamin. 

He had the best time:)

Bethany was singing and signing us one of her songs from their church Christmas program.

Shane & Bekah watching the goings on

A great father and a great daughter ~ what a combination!

This gets the “gift of the day” award!  Shelly made this for Bethany.

It held three coloring books and had a place on the outside for markers.  Bethany played with it allllllll day!!  I bet she colored 10 pictures!

That’s it for this year at our little homestead.  Hope you had a great time with your friends and family and are looking forward to 2010!

Here it is!!!  

I don’t know if this is an American tradition, a Southern tradition or a we-live-in-the-country tradition but this has been on my New Years table for as long as I can remember.

The true tradition is blackeye peas and hog jowl.  For those of you who are a little squeamish of something called “hog jowl”, you can subsititute and ham hock or just a piece of ham.  I also put onion in ours cause we love it.

You begin the New Years Eve night and soak your peas, which consist of pouring the bag in a big pot, covering them with water and a lid and going to bed:)

Here they are last night before I cooked them.

This morning I drained off this water and put them back in my big red pot that my boys gave me for my birthday and covered them with fresh water, some salt and a big onion cut in two.  I brought them to a boil; turned it down to low and cooked them all morning.  About thirty minutes before we ate it I added chopped up ham.  The last time I put in the whole ham bone it ended up very greasy and we are trying to cut down on that a little around here although that might not be too noticeable at this point in our lives:) 

Anyway, there it is.  I know I’m posting a lot but I didn’t want to leave this one out since this is THE day for it:)

  Have a safe, prosperous, healthy and happy 2010.