Hearts in Service

I've learned to be a frugal kind of gal. We have lived basically on one income for the past 9 1/2 years and what started out as being frugal by necessity has become a way of life. One thing I have found that helps though is to not sneer at the little ways to be frugal. All those pennies can add up to dollars after awhile. Does me washing out one baggie really save that much? Not if it's just one or two, but after years of doing it - Absolutely! Here are some little bits of frugal this past week: • Picked 2 cupfuls of black cap berries from our yard. It wasn't enough for a pie, but they were good on cereal for two breakfasts and the rest went into a fruit salad. • Took two pieces of leftover bacon and wrapped them up and put them in the freezer for a meal that requires crumbled bacon. • I have a large coffee can on my counter where I put all the vegetable and fruit peelings, as well as egg shells and coffee grinds. When it's full I take it outside and d...

Colossians 3:15-16 ~ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. When you get in the habit of praising the Lord and giving Him thanks, you find your whole attitude changing. It's hard to stay down and depressed when you are giving Him thanks! Here is my list of thankful things this week: ♫ A start on my summer plans. ♫ An early morning sanctuary to meet with the Lord. ♫ Nathan got a job working at a lumber yard. ♫ Learning new skills while having fun. ♫ An opportunity to finally meet face to face with a dear friend I've known for about 7-8 years. I know it sounds strange, but Jenni & I met through a homeschool website and it's like we were twins separated at birth. After years of chatting almost every day, we me...

Unlike Stephen, Nathan has had the same teachers all year since he is in a special education classroom. He has two teachers and an aide in there with him and they have done a fabulous job this year. I wanted to make something to bless them so I ended up creating a table runner for each of them. Here are the finished products. This one definitely needs to be ironed. I'm making Emily's teacher a baby quilt and I'm under the gun to get it done by next Friday. I'll show the finished product next week. I'm going to try to set this up as a linky thread each week so others can participate as well. Stay tuned for more details.

I Chronicles 29:10-13 ~ David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, "Praise be to you, O LORD, God of our father Israel,from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. I have so many things to be thankful for this week. I can say that my heart is truly full! ♫ Older brothers who are willing to let Emily hang with them. By the way, those are airsoft guns. We're not a hand gun (or any gun) toting family! ;-) ♫ The opportunity to bless the faculty and staff at Emily's school with homemade cookies. ♫ A blogging friend who blessed me by sending a gift, "just b...

Here is the recipe for Crockpot Enchiladas that 50shousewife asked for. Crockpot Enchiladas 2 1/2 lbs of ground beef 1 onions finely chopped 2 16 oz. can pinto beans 1 small can of minced green chilies 1 jar of salsa (med., mild or hot; whatever you prefer)sweetened with a bit of honey 1 package taco seasoning 1 lb block of extra-sharp cheddar cheese or pepper jack, grated freshly ground pepper and salt to taste 8 tortillas 1. Brown ground beef and onion 2. Add pinto beans, chili peppers, salsa and taco seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix together well. 3. In crockpot layer ingredients as follows: ground meat/salsa mixture on bottom, tortilla, and cheese 4. Continue alternating, ending with cheese on top. 5. Cook on high for 2-3 hours Garnish with sour cream or plain yogurt chopped scallions black olives Enjoy! I'm sorry I don't have a picture to go with the recipe.

Dan's birthday was yesterday and he requested a Middle Eastern meal. This was the first time I made kebabs and they were delicious. This was definitely a recipe we would have again. Ingredients * 2 pounds beef tenderloin, trimmed and cubed into 30 pieces * 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced large * 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced large * 8 white mushrooms, wiped clean and stems trimmed * 1 red onion, diced large * 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves * 1 tablespoon chopped garlic * 2 teaspoons dried oregano * 2 teaspoons onion powder * 1 teaspoon curry powder * 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon * 1 tablespoon kosher salt * 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper * 1 cup olive oil * 10 (10-inch) wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes * Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce, recipe follows Directions Once your meat and veggies have been prepped, you can begin skewering. Thread a piece of green pepper onto the skewer. ...

Psalm 34:3 ~ Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt His name together. Today is the day when I reflect over the past week and think of all the Lord has done for me. I love this verse because as a body of believers we can reflect on God together and lift up His name in praise! Today I am thankful for..... ♫ Fun outings with friends. ♫ The winding down of a very successful school year. ♫ Plants that have taken root and are thriving. ♫ A successful community day at the park with about 75 children stopping by to do a craft and get a goody bag. ♫ Longer days to enjoy God's creation. ♫ Bird songs all day long. ♫ Flowers blooming all summer to lift my spirits. Can you give Him the glory today?

I've deleted my previous post. We had some disappointing news last night and I was up until midnight and then woke up at 3:00 a.m. and never was able to get back to sleep. After taking a two hour nap today, I'm in a much happier mood. I figured it was better not to vent. Or perhaps it was just that people pleasing part of me worried about what others would think that caused me to delete it? I never can tell! God is good and I'm encouraged so that is all that matters! :-) For those of you who commented, thanks for the encouragement.

Psalm 28:7 ~ The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. There were so many things to be thankful for this week that I can't name them all. Here are a few of my praises: ♫ For men and women who sacrificed themselves for our freedoms. ♫ For a reminder of how far we've come. He used to scream and cry at parades because of sensory overloads. Monday he was in his first parade riding in the fire truck. ♫ For finished projects. ♫ For small town celebrations. ♫ For simple pleasures. ♫ For a fun time at the circus with friends. ♫ For a mistaken blood test when I was pregnant with Emily. The test said she had a rare chromosome disorder and wouldn't live past the first year. Thank you Lord for 11 wonderful years. ♫ For God's marvelous creation. ♫ For beautiful, long days to enjoy. Do you feel thankful today?

My baby turned 11 this past Sunday. Emily is turning into a lovely young lady and to be honest, is growing up so fast! However, she is still in the "playing with dolls" stage. Her cousin gave her a used American Girl doll years ago and she plays with it all the time. She and her friends bring their dolls to church. Eventually the arm broke and though it has been mended with duct tape, it has seen better days. Dan & I talked about what to do for her birthday. We were going to send the doll to the American Girl "doll hospital" but after you pay for the new arm, and to have it cleaned and fixed up, it would have cost almost as much as a new doll. So we decided to splurge and buy her a new one for her birthday. Our children get very little in the way of extras. We don't purchase toys and gifts for them during the year, so the few days we try to make special for them are their birthday and Christmas. Here she is with her new American Girl doll. We had fri...