2/4/10 11th Anniversary, Prayer, Valentines, Milled Flour, Preschool, Magnification, Gems
Posted by: jhbreneman <jhbreneman@...>
ENCOURAGEMENT TO WOMEN
Compiled especially for you with love by Lois Breneman
2/4/10 11th Anniversary, Prayer, Valentines, Milled Flour, Preschool, Magnification, Gems
The purpose of the Heart to Heart Newsletter is to encourage women and build biblical values into daily living through practical creative ideas for the Christian family regarding marriage, children, homemaking, and much more. Receive this free bimonthly newsletter by sending your name, city, state, e-mail address, and name of your referral person to Lois at jhbreneman@juno.com. New subscribers will receive a "Start-Up Kit."
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PLEASE SAY A PRAYER FOR ALL THE "HEART TO HEART" FAMILIES
TIPS AND TIDBITS FOR VALENTINE'S DAY
21 DAY ROMANCE CHALLENGE
HANDMADE VALENTINES
FUN GAMES FOR VALENTINE'S DAY PARTIES
A TESTIMONY OF GOD'S LOVE FOR ME
PARMESAN DILL POTATOES
PRESCHOOL LEARNING IDEAS
REASSURANCE
PRECIOUS GEMS
BRAND NEW BABY GIRL
11TH ANNIVERSARY FOR THE HEART TO HEART NEWSLETTER!
Used by permission from the following Heart to Heart subscribers:
I have really enjoyed your very helpful newsletters! I have three children... age 4, 3, and 10 months.... Jennifer, Moses, and Elisha. I enjoy them all, and they bring so much joy to our home! I love your helpful tips for saving money, and esp. encouragement for mothers... it seems like often it's just what I needed for the day!! THANK-YOU so much for the time you put into these newsletters! ~ Serena Yoder in Pennsylvania
I just finished reading this latest issues of "Heart to Heart" (10/7/09 issue) and wanted to say I think I enjoyed it perhaps the most of all you've ever sent! Love the recipes, like making your own sausage (what a smart idea!) and baby wipes (the baby wipes here are of really poor quality, so hopefully my "homemade" ones will be better!:)), and the idea for the "What's That? Box" - I plan to make one for my newest little nephew, due to arrive in a few weeks, for Christmas, and while I'm at it, I'll make one for our April baby as well. 🙂 Thank you. The information is REALLY useful! ~ Lori Turner (Last Name - Czech Republic (Oct., 2009)
Thanks for your lovely newsletter. I love receiving them. Keep at it! ~ Love from Viv Gregory in Australia
After receiving the Christmas newsletters:
Thank you so much! This has been very helpful especially since I ran out of ideas for our next few ladies' meetings in our church. May the Lord continue to use you and this beautiful ministry. I have sent a copy via e-mail of your newsletter to a sister missionary in one of our churches in the district for her to start using and receiving. ~ Jennie Ramos in Michigan
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for your great love, mercy and grace toward us, as such needy people. Without You, we can do nothing. I pray that You would show Your presence to the many ladies and their families today who need Your healing power in their body, mind or spirit. Please put your arms of protection around them. Shield those under attack by the enemy through spiritual warfare.
I pray that You would intervene for several a dear ladies who has been suffering with cancer and complications for months due to chemotherapy. A young mother with a newborn baby boy is undergoing chemotherapy for liver cancer. Another lady is experiencing high blood pressure and stroke-like symptoms, and the doctors aren't sure what the problem is. Please restore these precious ladies to good health, I pray. Please heal husbands who have serious health issues. Fill a young widow with your presence and help her in raising her three children. Heal a tiny baby boy of a serious disorder. Provide a needed kidney for a husband/father. Bring comfort and special miracles to those women whose husbands have left them for another. I thank you for your answer on behalf of these needs - in your perfect timing. Comfort and guide several precious women as they see family members suffer with a terminal illness. Comfort others in the loss of their mothers and another who has lost her father. Please bring comfort and peace to their hearts.
Protect all the precious children who have to spend time with a verbally or physically abusive parent every day - or some during visitation - even overnight. Please deliver them from that danger. I pray for those ladies who have had one or more miscarriages or have lost a child through an accident or illness. Show them how much you love them and care about their great loss, and meet their heartfelt needs. Touch their wombs and fill the arms of those who want so much to have a baby. Remove the fear of another loss from their hearts. Strengthen all the "Heart to Heart" mothers of young children, as I think of some blessed with twins or triplets, but each young mother needs your strength and a heart of love. Wrap your arms of love around those women who have had an abortion and help them to know Your love and full forgiveness. Give unconditional love, wisdom, and guidance to moms and dads in raising their adolescents. Please provide biological and/or adopted children for each one wanting to be parents. Help every parent to nurture and teach their precious children about You.
A young mother has a little daughter who is very susceptible to infections – she also has a serious a heart problem and that family needs Your healing intervention. Please give a sweet little girl who has had a heart transplant a long and healthy life with her family. A young mother who has four children learned that she has aggressive breast cancer – they desperately need Your help right now. A lady’s father is having serious heart problems and he needs You as his Savior too. Several “Heart to Heart” friends have continual joint and muscle pain, as well as chronic fatigue. A husband on the mission field also broke his back in several places. Others have multiple serious health problems. They all need Your healing, Lord.
I pray that you would restore rocky marriages and help those in financial turmoil - they need Your peace and provision. Many ladies have sons and daughters with that same need. Other ladies have unsaved husbands and family members - please open their eyes and their hearts to the truth. Bring healing to families with misunderstandings, unresolved conflicts and broken relationships. There is tension and unforgiveness in some families. Other families are estranged with total lack of communication for one reason or another – they need You as their Mediator.
Protect family members and friends of the ladies who are serving and protecting our country from terrorism. Be their Shield from evil, harm and danger. Provide every need for the families left behind, desperately missing their loved ones.
Many mothers desire that their sons and daughters be led to the marriage partner that You have planned for them to marry – please guide them and give them Your discernment. Some single "Heart to Heart" ladies desire to meet God's choice for them, get married and have children. Guide and direct the many single parents in their overwhelming job of raising their children alone. May their children be obedient and helpful. Unite every family by drawing each one into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Provide for the wife and mother who desires to leave her job to work at home, so she can be available for her family more – she and her husband need Your guidance and provision. A husband with great stress in his job needs Your intervention. A husband needs his temporary full time job to become permanent, so he can provide for his family. Another husband needs to get his life right with You and become the spiritual leader in his family. Please provide for so many who have lost their jobs during this economic downturn. Provide wisdom for doctors in cases of undiagnosed medical problems, and solutions for the pain so many endure.
Quite a few ladies have grown children who were raised for You and who once walked with You, but have made an unwise choice to take a detour – these wayward children need Your loving hand to guide them back to You. If they have never really accepted You as their Savior and Lord, please draw them to Yourself. Reassure parents of their children's walk with Him by allowing them to see spiritual fruit in their daily lives.
Many ladies have told me how they want to be a godly wife and mother – please guide them and show them in Your Word how they can glorify You in their families. Bless and enable the many "Heart to Heart" homeschooling moms. Bless, guide and protect all the families on the mission field or on missions trips and give them eternal fruit for their labor. Go before all the pastors and their wives as they lead their flocks for Your honor and glory.
Lord, You know that we are a needy group of ladies who desperately depend on Your powerful intervention in every area of our lives. Show us Your will and give us Your grace to live our lives for Your glory, no matter what answers come or way. We thank You that we can cast all of our cares upon You, because You care so deeply for us. Help each of us to be a godly example to our children, grandchildren, and all those who know us. Please find us faithful to the end. Help us to always love, honor, obey and serve You in our lives, and may every generation of our descendents walk in Your ways until we see You in heaven face to face!
I pray all this with a grateful heart for who You are ~ In the Precious Name of Jesus, Amen.
TIPS AND TIDBITS FOR VALENTINE'S DAY
by Lois Breneman, © 2008, Heart to Heart Newsletter, [email protected]
A Romantic Idea ~ Write out reasons why you love your husband or "I remember when..." (remembrances of your special times together). Make red hearts from card stock or construction paper (about 2x3") and punch a hole in it along the edge. Buy a bouquet of roses (real or silk) or other flowers and arrange in a vase. Tie your love note valentines to each flower stem with ribbon. Another way that you could use this same idea is to tie the notes everywhere so he will find them throughout the day - on his socks, toothbrush, toothpaste tube, to the stem of an apple in his lunch, to the doorknob, to the steering wheel, to his car keys, to his silverware, around his glass at dinner, to his coffee mug, etc.
Examples for notes:
I first knew that I loved you when...
I remember our first date.....
I remember when you asked me to marry you....
You could also color copy an entire page of old pictures of you and your husband for about $1 at Staples from during your dating years and afterwards, crop them and glue them to the card stock with captions. Or you could use these pictures to make a little romantic booklet with captions for him. He will love it!
An Everyday Love Reminder ~ For a holiday such as Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, here's a great idea. Fresh flowers are nice, but you can spend so much money on overpriced flowers that die within a few days. If you feel this way, you might want to give a rose bush or suggest a rosebush or two for yourself for Valentine's and Mother's Day. Do a search for knockout roses, a real winner - easy to grow and disease resistant. A single rose from the florist with a rose bush would be nice.
A Colorful Fish in a Bowl ~ A wonderful and creative valentine's gift especially for an older person or a child is a "Male Betta" - a colorful fish which can be kept in a large clear glass vase. Put some glass marbles on the bottom, fill with spring water (not tap water) and watch the action of this beautiful fish! They can be found in various colors all splashed together, such as pink, burgundy and purple or gorgeous shades of blue. The water has to be refreshed just once a week, but it is an easy pet and one that brings a lot of fun. Just feed him each day. Some good names for a fish might be "Jonah," or "Sushi." You will want to put only ONE fish in a bowl, because they will fight each other to death if put together! We had a couple at separate times when our children were small and we all really enjoyed the action and the pretty colors. ~ Lois
Conversation ~ A husband, proving to his wife that women talk more than men, showed her a study which indicated that men use on the average only 15,000 words a day, where as women use 30,000 words a day. She thought about this for awhile and then told her husband that women use twice as many words as men because they have to repeat everything they say. To which he replied, "What?"
21 DAY ROMANCE CHALLENGE
This would be a wonderful time of year to accept the 21 DAY ROMANCE CHALLENGE as well. If you dare. J Again, visit http://www.guardyourmarriage.com and click onto 21 Day Romance Challenge. Each day's entry is posted. ~ Thanks to Eileen Rife in Virginia for this challenge.
HANDMADE VALENTINES
by Lois Breneman - 2007 - revised 2010
This website shows how to make some pretty handmade valentines. You might want to add a scripture verse or a poem, such as one of the ones below. http://www.familycorner.com/homegarden/crafts/valentine_cards.shtml
You can buy blank cards and envelopes at a craft store like AC Moore or Michael's - many times offered at half price.
Pretty wide ribbon makes a simple piece of card stock look very elegant!
You could cut out 3 adjoining hearts, with the two on the left and right folding over onto the center heart. Write the scripture verse on the center heart.
Make special valentines by using construction paper or red card stock, rubber stamps, ribbons, doilies, lace, glitter, seed pearl beads, and glue. Even pictures from calendars and magazines can be used for very creative valentines.
If time is limited, glue a doily to red construction paper or card stock and rubber stamp a valentine in the center. Then type a scripture verse in duplicate form on the computer, cut out and glue on the cards. Use the concordance of your Bible to look up verses on "love."
Jeremiah 31:3 is a good scripture: "I have loved you with an everlasting love."
Here are two poems you could copy, paste and print in multiples for the cards:
PERFECT LOVE
Slow to suspect - quick to trust.
Slow to condemn - quick to justify.
Slow to offend - quick to defend.
Slow to expose - quick to shield.
Slow to reprimand - quick to forbear.
Slow to belittle - quick to appreciate.
Slow to demand - quick to give.
Slow to provoke - quick to conciliate.
Slow to hinder - quick to help.
Slow to resent - quick to forgive.
THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT -- LOVE
JOY is love exulting.
PEACE is love in repose.
LONGSUFFERING is love on trial.
GENTLENESS is love in society.
GOODNESS is love in action.
FAITH is love in endurance.
MEEKNESS is love at school.
TEMPERANCE is love in discipline.
An Idea You Might Want to Try ~ A subscriber, Brenda Simpson, asked me about ideas for making handmade cards. In fact, that's how this article came into being. After I sent her the ideas, she made valentines for her Sunday school class using card stock with a pretty ribbon. She copied the poems on them, wrote Jeremiah 31:3 and added a Hershey's Kiss!
to by Lois Breneman, © 2008, Heart to Heart Newsletter, [email protected]
A TESTIMONY OF GOD'S LOVE FOR ME
by Lois Breneman - 2010
In 2006 while our entire family was enjoying a week together at the beach, our son, Jeff, his soon-to-be wife, Rachael, my husband, John, and I were going to sail on the ocean on their catamaran and ours. I didn't want to spoil their fun, plus I wanted so much to go sailing with them, but every muscle and joint in my body was hurting so badly from fibromyalgia. I asked John if they could pray for me before we left the house.
Jeff prayed for me in our bedroom as the four of us formed a circle with our arms around each other. He prayed such a loving and heartfelt prayer for me as tears flowed down both of my cheeks. I wasn't the only one with teary eyes afterwards. And you know what? The Lord completely took away my pain in less than a half hour - before we left the house!
In Jeff's prayer he also prayed that I'd be encouraged by something special in nature that day. As we were setting up the two boats, suddenly Rachael pointed to the sky and said excitedly to me, "Look at that!" In the sky was a fluffy cloud that was green, bright pink and yellow, against the blue sky! It was breathtakingly beautiful and something neither of us had ever seen before! The Lord knew how much I love color and that was just another way of showing His great love toward me! I felt so loved by the Lord, as we saw both of those prayer requests answered for me in such a special way that morning.
Thank you, Lord!
by Lois Breneman
Flour bought in the grocery store goes through a process of removing valuable nutrition before it reaches the shelves. Wheat germ must be removed from whole wheat flour before being sold in the grocery stores, because the oil in the wheat germ would cause the flour to become rancid with the long shelf life. When you realize that 90% of the nutrition in a wheat berry is inside the wheat germ, that is enough motivation for one to mill her own flour to bake bread!
3-MINUTE CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP
Let's get cooking with this unbelievably delicious (and fat-free) 3-Minute Cream Soup that tastes just like Campbell's.
3 cups hot water
1/2 cups white bean flour
1 Tbsp. chicken bouillon
1 cup cooked, cubed chicken, optional
In a small saucepan over medium-high, whisk bean flour into water and bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. For creamiest soup, blend 1 minute, starting at a low speed, then moving to high.
If desired, add chicken pieces or up to 2 cups cubed or coarsely grated carrots, potatoes, celery and/or onions with an additional 1/2 cup water and cook soup for 5-8 minutes, or until veggies are barely tender.
(More recipes available at http://www.naturalmeals.com/)
http://www.heritagebuilders.org/weeklytips/a0000041.html
Thanks to Barb Campbell in Mississippi for this!
Here's an idea for an afternoon or evening when the kids are bored. Take them exploring inside. All you will need is a magnifying glass. Start by holding out your arm and have your kids take a look at it. Ask them what they see. Give them the magnifying glass to take a closer look at your arm. Ask them what they didn't see before. Now have them look at your eye without the magnifying glass, and then again using the magnifying glass. (It's a little tough not to blink with a magnifying glass over your eye, but give it a try anyway!).
After they've looked at fingers and toes, have them take out their Bible and turn to 1 Samuel 16:7. If they're old enough, have them read this verse aloud, or read it along with them. This verse says that the Lord doesn't see as we see. Instead, His eyes can see right into our very heart. Those are pretty powerful eyes indeed! God sees our thoughts and actions every day. What do you hope God will notice when He looks at your heart and your thoughts?
Closing verse: Dear Jesus, thank You that You look at us like a Shepherd does - understanding our mistakes and being full of love and care for us. Thank You that, like that magnifying glass, You see things that we can't, and You care for us no matter what. We love You, Jesus, Amen.
HELP! I'M BORED!
Non-Stop "Cheap Fun" for Pre-Schoolers by Janine Lynn
Is your active pre-schooler starting to drive you crazy from boredom? These sample ideas are sure to help. Remember, busy kids are happy kids!
Pudding Paint ~ Make your favorite flavor of pudding, according to the directions. Then, use clean fingers or kitchen utensils to "paint" pictures or designs on a cookie sheet. Have a few licks now and then.
Peanut Butter Playdough ~ Mix together 1 C. peanut butter, 1/2 C. honey or corn syrup, and 1 C. icing sugar (or Graham Wafer crumbs, powdered milk, or flaked coconut). Use a rolling pin, cookie cutters, forks, garlic press, or your fingers to make various creatures or shapes. (Note from Lois: Children under the age of one year should never have honey because of a possibility of botulism.)
Painted Toast ~ Stir a few drops of food coloring into 2 T. milk. With a pastry brush, paint a face or design on bread. Toast and serve. (Note from Lois: Rather than using food coloring on something anyone is going to eat, try mashed blueberries, strawberries or even mashed cooked carrots with very little milk. You can still "paint" your toast, but you won't be putting artificial dyes into your child's body. Many children have reactions to dyes and sugar, which manifest themselves in uncontrollable behavior. By keeping a record of dyes and sugar that your child eats in cereals, candy, hot dogs, etc., you may be able to determine the cause and effect in your child behavior.)
Colored Macaroni ~ Sprinkle several drops of food coloring into a bowl of dry macaroni. Mix well, and spread on cookie sheet to dry. Glue different colors onto heavy paper to make a picture.
Kitchen Sandbox ~ Partly fill a large plastic tub with cornmeal, rice, or colored macaroni, as described above. Then, use cups, spoons, colanders, sieves, etc. to dig, scoop, and measure "sand."
Carpet Tunnel ~ Roll up a scrap piece of carpet or foam mattress to make a tunnel to crawl through. Tie to secure. (Note from Lois: Be sure the tunnel is large enough, so the foam does not smother little ones. Do not leave a child unattended.)
Radical Ramps ~ Build ramps or tunnels for your toy cars to run down by balancing skinny boards or tubes on chairs or stairs.
Wonderful Wet-Prints ~ Pour water into cake or bread pan. Dip your bare feet or hands into water and make "wet-prints" on the sidewalk. (Note from Lois: Young children also love to "paint" the house with real paint brushes dipped in water buckets.)
Bagel Birdfeeder ~ Sandwich bagel between plastic lids. Thread string through hole in lids and tie a big fat knot on bottom. Hang on tree for birds to enjoy.
Counting Crunchies ~ In turn, two or more players shake a dice and take that number of Cheerios from a bowl. When bowl is empty, count your Cheerios to see who has the most.
Janine Lynn is a parent, author, and educator. Born and raised in Alberta, she is the author of "Help! I'm Bored! - Over 300 Children's Activities for Ages 2-12." She wrote this book because she wanted all of her favorite teaching ideas collaborated into one book, ready to use for any occasion. Find out more about "Help! I'm Bored!" (Note from Lois: Janine Lynn's web site is no longer in use, but her tips are great and I've used some years ago.)
REASSURANCE
by Betty Banner, Jackson, Tennessee
Dear Lord,
Could you spare some guardian angels to give me peace of mind
As my children wander from me and stretch the ties that bind?
You have heavenly legions, Father. Could You send me just a few
To guide my eager youngsters as I give them, Lord, to You?
Oh thank You, thank You, Father, and, oh, my glad heart sings.
I'm certain that just now I heard the swish of passing wings!
PRECIOUS GEMS
Ladies, I always welcome kids' quotes to include in the newsletter. They're such fun! Even quotes from long ago are great, as long as the age of the child is given. How about quotes from when you were a child. Fun!
Micah who is now four, will often lovingly say something to me that doesn't quite fit, but he knows it is a sweet thing to say because mommy says it to him, like when he said to me, "Mommy, you are my precious boy." The week after Christmas he cupped my face in his hands and looked into my eyes and said, "Mommy, I can't believe how big you've gotten." I knew I should have cut back on the Christmas cookies! ~ Elaine Daniels in Virginia, who by the way is petite and slim, even after Christmas cookies!
The boys have been having conversations about God and Heaven a lot lately. After a huge grocery shopping trip, Jacob, 7, told Micah, 4, "When you get to heaven you will notice there is no Wal-mart but don't worry. God doesn't need it. He will just say, "BREAKFAST!" and then we will have it!" ~ Elaine Daniels in Virginia
The sky is a deep, subtle purple as I drive down the Interstate to pick up my husband from work. From the backseat, three-year-old Kylie pipes up: "Oh, look, Grandma, that's a juice sky!" ~ Eileen Rife in Virginia - Healing Words for Hurting Hearts - Home - http://www.eileenrife.com
My 2 1/2 year old granddaughter, Ryan Elizabeth, prayed this prayer at the dinner table: "ABCDEFG - HIJKLMNOP - QRS - TUV - WXY and Z. Now I know my ABC's! Next time won't you sing with me? AMEN." To which her 6 year old brother, Justin, replied, "I think she wanted to pray for everyone whose name starts with those letters!" ~ Lois
Someone recently attended a small business marketing seminar at which the speaker used actual examples to reinforce her teaching points. She told a delightful story about a coffee shop that distinguished itself from the competition by prominently displaying a warning sign that read: "Unattended children will be given a double espresso and a free puppy!"
BRAND NEW BABY GIRL
Hava Helen Johanna Carmichael was born to Chad and Darcy Carmichael in Michigan on New Year's Eve, 2009. Hava is Hebrew for Eve. Darcy says, "She joins her 7 sisters to bless our family. She was also our first homebirth and it went fabulously!"
Since we had talked a lot during the pregnancy about the possibility of finally having a boy, our 4th daughter (age 4) made a funny comment just yesterday -- "She's too cute to be a boy!" ~ Darcy
Many Heart to Heart ladies and their families need our prayers,
Disclaimer: Various web sites are given as credits or to supply additional information for readers. However, all the views and advertisements represented by web sites given in this newsletter are not necessarily the views of the editor. Please use your own discretion regarding all information given in this newsletter.
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