Back next week sometime . . .

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Every good cook has a story

So tonight I went to Amazon for this amazing deal, and ordered the Pioneer Woman's cookbook. Her blog is such a splendid place to visit, and I know I'm going to love the book. It was on my Christmas wish list, but at this price I just went ahead and bought it (and a couple more for gifts) and my hubby can wrap one up and give it to me!

Every cook has a story. I mean, every person has a story, and I really like cookbooks that are anecdotal with a bit of personality to them. Like Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes (that inspired me to get back into keeping chickens) and Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader that are favorites on my shelf. According to reviews, the Pioneer Woman's cookbook includes lots of her wonderful photography and accounts on life 'at home on the range.' Merry Christmas to me!

Best of the Blogs (in my ever-so-humble opinion)

I'm inspired and delighted by talented Christian women bloggers. You'd be amazed at how many are out there! Just when I think I must have seen them all, lo and behold, I come across another one. Of course, keeping up with them all is impossible, but I do like to pop in for visits from time to time and catch up.

Let me introduce you to one of my current favorites. Here's a wonderful Savoring an Old Fashioned Thanksgiving post by Aunt Ruthie at Sugar Pie Farmhouse. It's long . . . keep scrolling down and down and down to get to her Thanksgiving tips and her Pumpkin Pie tutorial. The photography is beautiful, and Sugar Pie Farmhouse is a fresh and cheerful place to visit. Happy reading!

Aren't these just the sweetest little faces?

Our 99 cent, 100-year-old church building purchase included all the contents, so we've been going through cupboards and sorting things out. It's quite the adventure I tell you. Yesterday I even had a little lesson in how to use the commercial dishwasher. I'm SO looking forward to many happy dinners in our new-to-us building. There are not one, but two full sets of beautiful dishes--enough to feed dozens of people! And I'm thinking it's a splendid plan to teach some of the teens how to use the dishwasher.

I brought these sweet little ladies home. They are bell ornaments, about 3" tall, from National Pottery Company of Cleveland Ohio, made in Japan in 1956. Sadly, "little Miss E" was nowhere to be found. She must have met a sad fate somewhere over the years. I'll probably never know the story behind it! So the collection says NOL instead if NOEL. Oh well. I still love the sweet little faces, don't you?

Going through children's hymnals from 75 years ago, and a closet of children's costumes, and drawers filled with sheet music . . . I can't help but think of all the lives that have passed through this building over the years. There must be hundreds of them. I wonder where they are now and what they are doing. And then I wonder about the people that are still to come, and what their stories will be, and wonder who will meet the LORD in our building. And then I realize that I've been sitting with a box of ornaments in my lap for 10 minutes and I'd better stop thinking and start working again--there are lots of closets and shelves still calling my name!

Schooling In Real Life

I've found that usually those who "dis" homeschooling are those who know the least about it. Scientifically conducted studies have proven repeatedly that homeschooling works. But that's not what my blog is about. I'm just going to share, from time to time, how and why homeschooling WORKS for our family. This isn't about "homeschooling apologetics," or proving ourselves to anyone, it's just glimpses into homeschooling family life, especially for those who know nothing about it.

Yesterday I shared a photo of our oldest daughter at work. A couple of months ago she noticed a help-wanted sign in Petsmart and went through the whole process of applying online for it. She got to the last page, only to find that applicants needed to be at least 18. Bummer. But a few weeks later we were picking up our dogs from the boarding kennel after being away for the weekend. The owner (a lovely woman that we've come to know well) asked if any of our daughters would be interested in working a few hours a week for her, and learning about the business. She was especially interested since they are homeschooled, and have flexible schedules. Well, how cool is that!? That "few hours" a week has turned into quite a few, and our daughter is learning everything from how to shampoo a variety of dogs, to how to properly socialize very expensive puppies, to how to custom mix healthy dog food, to how to keep accurate records and process paperwork, and interact with customers. If she decides she wants to apply again at Petsmart when she's 18, do you think she'll be well qualified and have good references?

Here's where it gets interesting. She also loves to write, and her earnings are going directly to buy her own laptop. How like real life (or at least how real life should be) --WORKING to meet a specific goal. This month she is participating in NaNoWriMo. For a gal that has a half-dozen novels started, this is an excellent way to write one through to completion. She has a goal of 40,000 words this month, and is well over half way there...right on schedule. Anyone who writes for a living will understand immediately the importance of learning to write on a deadline, and to a specific word count.

Because she is homeschooled, she CAN coast a little on the other subjects for a couple of weeks, to concentrate on NaNoWriMo and working a lot of hours while the other kennel helper is less available. And she's racking up $$ toward that laptop. What immediate, positive reinforcement. Don't worry...she IS learning Geometry and Spanish and Literature and Art and History and Biology this year...but right now, at 9 a.m. she's not sitting in a classroom. She's doing some real-life learning.

Our new favorite easy dinner solution

Like most families we do our share of everyone going different directions some days. While Jim and I both work from home, and we homeschool, 2 of the kids have part-time jobs, and all have a few (very few) extra-curricular activities. (This is one of our daughters at her kennel job.)

On those busy days it really works for us to have dinner assembled in a slow cooker in the morning, so that it's ready to eat in the evening whenever we are.

Here's our new favorite.

3 frozen boneless chicken breasts

1 15-ounce jar salsa

1 15-ounce can corn

1 15-ounce can black beans

1 8-ounce brick cream cheese

Put the frozen chicken breasts in the slow cooker and cover with the corn (drained) black beans (drained) and salsa. Cook on high for about 5 hours. Shred the chicken. Turn off the slow cooker and drop in the cream cheese (cut into cubes.) Let sit until cream cheese is melted. That's it. Sometimes I add a small can of green chilis with the corn and beans...just because I love that chili taste.

This can be used as a filling for tortillas, or served over rice, or just eaten like a stew with tortilla chips on the side. We usually have shredded cheddar and sour cream on the side.

It's cheap too! I buy the jar of salsa at Dollar Tree, and the canned vegetables on stock-up sales, usually for about 35 cents/can...and the chicken breasts when they are on sale.

As part of my Econobusters job, right now I'm testing and photographing some recipes for our new frugal Slow Cooker Recipes E-Book. I've discovered a couple more "keepers" so far already. Just a perk of doing my job!

About the Red Doors

Since moving to PA about 8 years ago, we've been meeting with a few other families every Sunday in a rented storefront to very simply remember the Lord in the way he instructed. (1 Corinthians 11: 23-26)

And we've tried to permeate the community with God's word, by making and giving away thousands and thousands of fridge magnets, wall hangings, etc. featuring Bible verses. These are distributed at fairs, parades, etc. year round.

To make a longish story short, at our Labor Day outreach this year we were approached by a woman about a very special gift. We have been given (well, actually we purchased for the princely sum of 99 cents) a beautiful, red brick church building, right in the heart of downtown. It is simply lovely, on the National Historic Register, but impeccably maintained and updated, with a gorgeous new addition added about 15 years ago. It's not huge by any stretch, but a great deal larger than the little space we've been using. With all the legal steps completed, we're working on moving in now.

I was just reading this verse this very morning, and it sure fits here: The Lord has done great things for us and we are glad. (Psalm 126:3)

Another Blogging Start

Hi Mum!

You see, my mum reads my blog. And she lives in Ireland. And I live in Pennsylvania. And she doesn't like these long stretches of no updates. So, I'm going to try to blog more frequently. Now I've gone and put that out there, and if I don't follow through the whole, big, world-wide-web-world will know that I'm lacking in the necessary self discipline.

I'm blessed to have a job that involves writing--a lot of writing. I work for Econobusters. And not only do I get paid to write, but I get to write about what I love--cooking, decorating, saving money, family life . . . good stuff like that. AND I get to do it all from home . . . a warm, comfy, friendly home that I share with my very patient husband, 4 teens, and 2 dogs, with 5 chickens in the backyard laying beautiful brown eggs. Life is good. Messy at times, but good.

For the past couple of weeks I've been thinking about the phrase, "Soli Deo Gloria" meaning Glory to God alone. As per 1 Corinthians 10:31, whether I eat or drink, or whatever I do, I'm to do it all to the glory of God. It's so timely for me as we're working through some changes right now in our community. I'd like to make a way to display "Soli Deo Gloria" in a place where I'll see it multiple times a day! It's NOT about my agenda, or my ideas. It's ALL for God's glory. And that's a staggering privilege and a sobering responsibility.

And what's with the doors at the top? Tomorrow I'll blog about that!