The Mary Poppins of our Christian Home

“But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NIV) Are you anxious with Thanksgiving right around the corner? Don't be! Make your list of things that need to be done and do them in a timely manner so that you aren't stressed over Thanksgiving. This is especially important if you are preparing for a large number of family members. Here are some tips to add to your list to make things go smoother. Turkey tips: If buying a whole turkey you need 1 pound per person. For a boneless breast plan 1/2 LB per person. Thawing: Frozen turkey needs 1 day in the fridge for every 4 pounds....so refrigerate a 12 LB turkey for 3 days. Basting: It can help the turkey brown evenly but the opening of the oven door can prolong baking time. A better way to keep it juicy is to pour some warmed broth over the carved slices. Bread: Make the dough for your bread or rolls at the first part of the week. Allow the dough to rise fully once, shape it,

Well, that is what a friend told me this week. She asked me how I did all that I did and make it look so easy. Some days, I think, "It is anything but easy", but I did share some tips with her that seem to help out. I look at staying at home, my job. And just like any job you have hours that you work, tasks that have to be done, and projects that need to be seen to. My job just happens to be taking care of a house, husband, & 3 children. Everything that needs to be tended to gets put on my calendar, if it isn't on my calendar it is not a high priority. When school starts, I take my calendar and put the school year on it. Because I am VP of our Elementary PTO, those meetings & events are added, so is Dance, Piano, Guitar, & any other child function that comes up. Yes, I even have a day set aside for our date night... If I didn't it would get overlooked & let's face it, we need to keep an intimate relationship with our husbands. They need t

Just a few ideas for your upcoming Thanksgiving Dinner. Or any event this month! SPICE PUMPKIN CUPCAKES WITH FROSTING Makes 24 cupcakes. 1 tsp grated orange zest 3 cups powdered sugar 15 oz can pure pumpkin 1 cup sugar 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1 tsp baking soda 2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 cup sour cream, room temp 1/2 cup molasses 3 large eggs 1 cup + 6 tbs unsalted butter, room temp 1/2 tsp kosher salt 2 tsp baking powder 3 cups all purpose flour HEAT oven to 350°. Line two 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners. In a bowl, whisk together ginger, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cloves and salt. Beat 1 cup butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Beat in pumpkin and molasses. ADD flour mixture, mixing until incorporated. Divide batter among muffin cups and bake until done, 25 min. Let cool 5 min. in pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. MAKE FROSTING---Beat powdered sugar, sour cream and remaining butter in a bowl until smooth. Increa

I love this time of year~the decorating, the cooking, the baking, the smells of the season; but most of all the family time. Keeping to my schedule is important this time of year so that it doesn't become overwhelming. November is filled with decorations of Pumpkins, Scarecrows, fall leaves, pinecones, & Sunflowers; not to mention fall scented candles. Time to get the fireplace ready for the cool nights to enjoy home-made hot chocolate with marshmellows while having family night. The kids will have a week off for Thanksgiving which means that we will have time set aside to keep up with their reading level but most of the time home will be spent preparing for Thanksgiving & out of town family arriving. The house will be filled with smells of fall, football, men hunting, & children laughing. Many times Thanksgiving is the only time of year that many think about what they are Thankful for. I try to emphisis to our kids that Thanksgiving is everyday of the year. So

Yea! I love this time of year. Leaves changing colors, smell of pumpkin pies, cool mornings with sunny afternoons. November is often known to the men as No Shave November & to the Women as Thankful Month were you take each day and say what you are Thankful for. There are so many God Winks that we can be Thankful for. Everday that God awakens us is a day of Thanksgiving. Don't you agree? Let's get in the kitchen for some fun... here are some great recipes that you can do as a family event. STREUSEL PEAR TART Makes 8 servings. 4 tbs unsalted butter, cut into 1/4" pieces 3/4 tsp apple pie spice 3/4 cup light brown sugar 1/2 pkg 14 oz refrigerated piecrust, 1 crust 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 cup + 2 tbs flour 6 pears Unroll piecrust into a 10" fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press crust against the bottom and sides of pan, trimming top as needed so it is even with rim. Refrigerate. Heat oven to 425°. Peel, core and cut pears into 1/2&

It seems like this month has been a blur. Busy all month with activities in the school with the PTO, Homecoming, football games, dance, piano lessons, Fall Festival at school & one coming up Saturday at church; just a few things that has been keeping me busy. So I am so sorry for not keeping up with this blog. It did get me thinking about a practice that I have gotten out of that I need to put back in place. So I am reimplementing my "tackle box"! I have a file box that has file folders for every day of the month. It is a monthly "To Do" list. So let's say that you want to start one for November. You will have all your file folders in the "Tackle Box", put all bills that are due on their due date that can be paid locally and those that need to be mailed; 5 days before due date. On November 1 go pull the 1st folder and do everything in that folder first. This will help keep you on track of all the things you need/want to do and won't g

Do you want to add touches to your house but don't have the funds to buy decorating items? Try some of these cute ideas: Give 'Em The Boot Use old rain boots as vases. This lighthearted display is perfect for a spring part such as April Showers bring may flowers. For a southern theme, try cowboy boots instead! Use pillow cases to update your throw pillows for fall. Simply place your throw pillow in a pillow case folding it into the case for a tight fit. You can change pastel pillows into deep fall colors in a matter of seconds. To change up a look in a room simply swap out area rugs. It can change a look of a room by bring out accent colors in another room.

So excited for the arrival of fall. Not only does that mean that we get a break scorching heat, but it also means that it's time to decorate. I love decorating, adding fall scents to the house whether it be through candles or bringing the outside in with mums. I start by adding a fall wreath at the door as well as door facing decorations. Decorating for fall doesn't have to be expensive, it is a matter of placement and using what you have or what is available outside that you can bring in. Change out the candle scents so they match the season. No since in burning Magnolia when it's fall outside. Get a pumpkin, crackling campfire, s'mores, etc scent that will make you want to pull out your flannel sheets. Or simply bake items that will send an amazing fall aroma scent throughout your home like peanut butter cookies, pumpkin cookies, etc. (See two recipes below) In your bathrooms swap your decorative towels to fall colors such as rust, brown, gold, etc. Things tha

Wednesday is considered "Hump Day", it falls in the middle of the week. But it is actually our day to meet in the Lord's house to be refuel and encouraged for the rest of the week. We are in Genesis, studied the flood tonight. Isn't this the way we have always viewed the ark? When we dive into God's word we understand that by the diminsions that are given that it wasn't actually shaped like a boat, but rather a rectangle. Noah is an example of what a committment to God should look like. He was totally committed when God told him to build an Ark. He was giving Mercy for both himself and his family. He was giving a Mission~to build an Ark. Do you wonder if he worried about what everyone would think or say about him? The Bible says that he spent 160 years building the Ark...that is committment. Do we have the same kind of committment or is our committment more like if I have time I'll ...............? He was also giving a Message. This was to tell

So summer is over, school has started and we have finally gotten back into a routine. Bear with me as I am learning how to do this and making myself make time to do it. Nominations where held in May, where I was blessed to be nominated as Vice President of the PTO. Where worked on items all through the summer continuing to stay busy since school has started. With our Spirit Store kicking off the last week of August running every Friday as well as on Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday at the home games. Then we sponsored a Scholastic Book Fair where the students could purchase their favorite books. This not only encouraged reading but also helped them find what interested them in their AR levels. This created a couple months of craziness for our teachers, so we rewarded them with a dessert day where they could have something sweet after lunch. Now, the planning of the fall festival is going on with a month to get everything ready. This is the time of year that I love... Baking, coo

This week has been full of an array of emotions. It seems the closer to the end of school we get the busier we are. Awards day, getting ready for the end of the year dance recital, ordering class ring for my oldest. Reality sets in that these wonderful gifts from God grow up! We have to be ready & prepare them with the tools that will help them make the best decisions for their life. Giving them their foundation through the Bible. Monday was Art in the Park for out TAG program. My youngest son won second place in his division. So proud of him. It makes my heart smile to see his eyes light up. He walks to the beat of a different drum and he does it proudly. Tuesday was spent cleaning around the house and the yard. Bikes laid where the kids laid them, balls in the yard; I realized that the things I was picking up would some day not be there. That one day in the near future I would long for the day where I would pick up their toys in the yard. It's not that far off, ho

I have been dabbling with this area, it is time to get serious about it. I am learning so please bear with me. Life around her has been quite crazy, it always is when you have children. Bear with me, I am still learning :) Today I relearned a great lesson. This week has been extremely busy. Monday was spent getting things ready for Art in the Park, a competition for our ECTAG program. Along with my Mom visiting until Thursday and a show on Monday night. Tuesday was spent working at our old house trying to remodel it~spent the day laying tile and grouting it, along with painting the Master Bed/Bathroom, second bathroom, and the living room. Wednesday we went shopping for more supplies for the remodel, made Rice Pudding for Dinner at church. Thursday was more work on the Art in the Park prepping 600 bags for Lunch, picking up a tux & have it fitted, dance for Shelby, & dinner. And today's schedule was supposed to be super busy as well with Art in the Park working th

Boys came home from Winter Youth retreat. Cody returned to work & on Thursday morning a call that every mother hopes she never gets came in. Cody works a short distance from the house, not having been gone long I thought he might of ran out of gas. Instead he was calling to say he had an accident. Jumping up, I left the house in my pj's and jacket to go tend to him. I am so thankful that he called me, had someone else done it, they would have had to tended to me. Driving up to the accident I saw where the car wasn't just in the ditch but had rolled several times before landing upright in the ditch. After seeing the wreckage and seeing him walking towards me tears sprang to my eyes. I was so thankful that he was not injured. His car was completely totaled, bending the frame, yet when you walked around to the driver's side there wasn't a scratch on the car from the wheel base to the middle of the back door. Cody simply said God protected us Momma. And, yes,