Sunday Mornings

Sunday mornings can be very rough, trying to get out the door earlier than usual and everyone looking their best.  Sometimes instead of being a day of rest and a day set aside for the Lord it becomes a stress filled, icky, grumpy day.

But what if you could have an enjoyable and even fairly restful morning and still have a lovely breakfast and get everyone out the door on time looking great?  It can be done!  It just takes a bit of thought and planning.

Prepare the clothes ahead of time.  If you do your ironing throughout the week all of the clothes should be set and ready to go.  Look over all of the clothes on Friday or Saturday to make sure they really are clean and ironed.  I pull out tights and such for the girls as well and put them on the hangers with their dresses.  Remind yourself throughout the week to check on these things and see what you can do.  Sometimes I'll have everyone change out of their "Sunday clothes" as soon as we get home if they are still clean.  That means less laundry and ironing for me, and their clothes are all ready for next week!  If you do this you will want to inspect to make sure everything was hung up again properly, otherwise this method does you no good.

Little girls playing "church" on Sunday afternoon while Daddy reads out loud to all of us.

Check the diaper bag, make sure it is well stocked on Saturday afternoon/evening.  Is there anything else you need to take with you?  Potluck?  Snack? Returning something to someone at church?  Make sure anything you can do ahead of time is done and sitting out where you will remember it.  I'm finding that I need to actually put things in the car or leave a note at my space at the table the night before to help me remember. No matter how well I plan getting nine of us fed and out the door can be enough to think about! ;)

Breakfast.  That is a big one.  Sunday morning can be a long one, it is important to start it with a good meal that will stick with all of you.  I need protein to keep me going, and some of my kids do better after a meal with plenty of protein so we generally have some eggs, bacon, or sausage.  Coffee cake makes the meal fun too.  I prepare it the night before so all if have to do is pop it in the oven in the morning, this mix makes it easy while still being homemade!

 

Think about what you will be eating when you get home as well.  We often have something simple like bagels with cheese melted on them or cheese, crackers, salami and fruit for lunch.  Sometimes our church has a potluck after service though and we LOVE that, the fellowship is great and it is fun to share a meal with our friends.  I try to have dinner in the crockpot so that I don't really have to cook all day, that makes the day much more restful!

Cooking for a crowd; Baked Beans

In the last couple of years we've started eating more beans.  Not just because they are inexpensive, but because they are good for you!  Some of my kids seem to like beans in just about and form, other are not quite so excited about beans.  This is a bean dish they all like.  I don't exactly have a recipe for this, but this is the general idea

Baked beans

1 lb. navy beans (rinsed and then soaked over night)

4 cups chicken stock/broth (I just pull a container of my homemade stuff from my freezer) you could easily use much more if you have it in place of some of the water.

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup mustard or use some dry mustard

1/3 cup or more molasses or honey (we like it sweet)

Salt and pepper to taste

Bacon *optional* We just cut up a few pieces to add flavor.

Water enough to cover beans after everything else is added.  You may need to add more as these bake.

Adjust these to fit your taste, this is very easy to play with!

Put everything in a large pot or casserole dish and bake at about 350 all day.  Check it though out the day to make sure there is still enough liquid and stir from time to time.  Your beans are done when they are soft and brown!

Sometimes we add 1 pound of cooked ground beef to this just before serving.  My kids really like this with cornbread.  Sometimes we serve it in a bowl over the cornbread.  This time we served it on plates, with cornbread and a salad.

Rescued (adoption documentary) and Giveaway!

UPDATED- Thanks for entering this giveaway!  From a random number generator entry #2 was chosen!  Christine that is you!  I'll be in touch with you to get this DVD out in the mail!


I'm excited to get to do a giveaway for Rescued a documentary on adoption.  This is a beautiful film about the heart of adoption and caring for orphans.

We want to get the word out about this movie so; here are some ways to win this movie with that goal in mind...
For each entry leave a comment and an e-mail address or some other way to contact you.

1. Facebook this blog post or a link to Rescued (2 entries)
2. Tweet this post or a link to Rescued (2 entries)
3. Blog about Rescued (2 entries)
4. Be a follower of this blog (1 entry)

I'll end this giveaway on Wednesday February 15th

 

I was not compensated for this and get nothing out of it except the joy of getting to pass on the information to others!   The Wintons  (the makers of the film) are good friends of ours, but we would think this was a great film even if we didn't know them! ;)

Struggling AND Gratitude

Entitled?  Ungrateful?  Whining?  Angry?  What would happen if I was Grateful for what I do have?  If I realized I'm a debtor and entitled to nothing?  I know I struggle with these things, and I'm guessing that others do to.

These past few weeks have been rough.  My dad's passing has taken a lot out of me.  I was already wiped out after the birth of our seventh baby, helping my wonderful hubby through his PhD, and moving.  I had been looking forward to our Christmas break (hubby had 2 weeks off!).  The day that my dad passed was the day that break was supposed to start.  Its been hard to keep going and do what needs to be done. I've been in a bit of a funk.

  It can be so easy to fall into the bad attitudes of thinking that others should be picking up my slack, others should be taking care of me, life is rough, poor me, I deserve a break....  What I find is that life goes on; there is work to do.  The baby still needs to be fed, changed and settled, toddlers trained, children taught and corrected.  My husband needs me too.  If I'm not running to the cross, running to Jesus, it all just gets to be too much and I grow weary (even on a good day!).  I start thinking of myself, my needs, my wants, what I "deserve" instead of being the living sacrifice I am called to be.  I begin to think too highly of myself and not put others first.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, aceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." Romans 12:1-3

This is the King James Version, and I like the phrase "your reasonable service."  Being a "living sacrifice" is not going above and beyond. It is not even special. It is just "your reasonable service."  We are bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  We are His.  We are His sons and daughters, and as such we must obey Him.  This is more than I can do on my own, but through the Holy Spirit working in me, it can be done!

This week I picked up a book that had been given to me about a year ago.  I'd started reading it when I received it but just didn't get very far into it.  Choosing Gratitude has been a great book so far.  While it is a fairly light and easy read, it is not lacking in biblical encouragement and conviction.  So far (and I'm only through chapter 3), I've been given quite a bit to think about, and it has helped pull me out of my "funk" a bit.  Just thought I'd share.  If you're in a funk too I'd encourage you to pick it up.  Even if you are not struggling, I think this is a great book and would bless just about anyone.

**I was not compensated in any way for this post.  It's just a book I have, found it a blessing, and thought I'd pass the blessing on.  If you do purchase the book through one of my links I may make a few cents though. :)

Taking care of mom; milk supply

As I said in this post, if mom is not well cared for often the whole family can suffer.  When a mom is nursing a baby the smallest, most dependent member of the family can be the first to suffer the consequences of a poorly rested, stressed out mama.  Knowing this we were careful during our move (when baby was just 1 month) to be sure I was able to get the rest, hydration, and nourishment I needed to keep him doing well.  We also took steps to reduce the stress level and the amount of physical activity that would be required (knowing that much would be unavoidable).  We planned well and were able to keep my milk supply up for baby through our move.  But what happens when the unexpected happens?

Last month my Dad passed away.  To say that was stressful and exhausting would be an understatement.  Travel, shock, grief, sadness etc all combined to take a toll on me and my milk supply.  While I acknowledged in my head that I needed to be careful and watch my supply; in the middle of the pain and sadness I had not noticed that my poor little guy was not getting enough.   Then it clicked (he was grumpy and just not sleeping so well, and just seemed to be hungry all the time) and I needed to move into action.  I took steps to care for myself and my sweet little guy.

1. I prayed that God would give me wisdom and help me provide the milk my baby needed

2.Nurse!  I cuddled up with that sweet little baby and nursed, nursed, nursed!  When the demand goes up, the supply will too.  Having extended nursing/cuddling sessions with baby were so sweet and relaxing too.

3. WATER!  I drank and drank.

4. Rest!  It was a Friday afternoon when I noticed this issue.  Our plans for the week-end quickly changed to make sure that I would be spending much of my time resting while daddy was home to hold down the fort.

5. Mother's milk tea seems to be very helpful in boosting my milk supply, and I've heard the same from other moms.  I drank a bunch and I'm continuing to drink it knowing that I'm not through this rough time and I don't want this to sneak up on me again.

6. Because I had already been thinking about starting him on "solid" foods I added this in.  It helped fill his belly and he was thrilled to take this new food; so it ended up being a good time to introduce it to him. I had already made up baby food for him in the form of cooked/pureed squash that was frozen in ice cube trays.  Having this ready ahead of time allowed me to start it up right away with out the need to run out to pick up supplies.

Within a day or two my supply was coming back up, but over the next week it would come and go a bit.  I'm continuing to be careful and watch both myself and my little boy for signs of this happening again.

Cooking for a crowd; coffee cake mixes

Nearly every Sunday we have coffee cake for breakfast.  Mmmm....fresh, hot, right out of the oven.  Sound like a bit too much to do on Sunday morning or even Saturday evening?  Not if you make up mixes ahead of time!

I found a coffee cake recipe we all liked and then split the recipe up in ways that could be pre-mixed and packaged to make our own mixes!  I mix up 5 or more at a time and keep them in the freezer until I need them.

Here is how I do it.

First is the sugar mix (I cut the sugar in half from what the original recipe called for), label a small zip lock plastic bag "sugar mix" and put
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar.

Next the Flour mix (I use either all whole wheat pastry flour or 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white flour) label a small zip lock plastic bag "Flour mix" and put in
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

Then the Topping, label a small zip lock plastic bag "topping" and put in
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Put all three bags in one large (gallon size) zip lock bag and write these instructions on it-

Mix 2/3 cup Oil with sugar mix in a mixing bowl.  Then add 2 eggs and 1 cup buttermilk (or you can use 2 Tbsp vinegar and milk to equal one cup) and mix in the flour mix.  Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.  Top with topping.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator over night.  In the morning bake this at 350 for about 35-40 minutes.

 

*You can play with this by adding frozen or fresh fruit or berries.  I've also added spoonfuls of apple butter to the top of this before adding the topping.  Jams or pie fillings would work for this too.  Play with it, do what works for your family.  This is a very versatile recipe!  Just set up an assembly line and grab some little helpers, you'll have a bunch of these mixes made up in no time!

We serve this with sausage or bacon and eggs (we need the protein to keep us going through the long Sunday morning) and, when I remember, fresh fruit.

I'm linking to Raising Homemakers and Make your home sing Monday.

$75 a week groceries for 9 people?

***I've been struggling this past week with the sadness of the loss of my Dad and trying to keep up with things at home.  As much as I wanted to be able to keep up this series this month this is something I don't HAVE to do, so it needs to go.  I need to focus on my family and get through this grief.***

Last week did not go quite according to plan.  I was having a rough day on the last day of our Christmas break, and my sweet husband took us all out for lunch totally blowing the food budget.  It was a blessing though to get out of the house, have a good time and let him bless me in this way.  This week should be better though as far as the budget goes.

Knowing that I'd be tired and just off I had done the shopping for this week the week before when I could go on my own since my wonderful husband was home and happy to hold down the fort!  I only spent $52 at the commissary for two weeks of food, since much of our food would just be coming from the pantry and freezer.  Milk will need to be picked up at some point though.

Here is the menu for this week
Breakfasts-
Baked Oatmeal 3 days
Dutch baby pancakes on Friday
Pancakes on Saturday and for a Birthday breakfast!
Coffee Cake and sausage eggs on Sunday

Lunch-
Nachos x 2
Homemade bread
Leftover soup
Chuck E. Cheese (Just our family for a birthday.  We don't usually do this, but it has been on this child's wish list all year long!)
Biscuits and gravy (Saturday)
Cheese, crackers, salami, apples (Sunday)

Dinner-
Whole chicken in crockpot with potatoes, onion, carrots
Baked beans (with ground beef) biscuits, salad
sweet potato soup, bread, salad
tacos (made with rice, pinto beans, lentils) cheese, salsa, sour cream, lettuce will be available
Chicken garlic sausage, salad... Not quite sure what else, this is a birthday dinner and the birthday child has not finished putting in the requests!
Left overs
Homemade Pizza and maybe homemade carmel corn (for family movie/game night!)