5/18/09 Fathers, Gifts, Muffins, Productive Summer, Teens, Planning Family Meals, Tablecloth
Posted by: jhbreneman <jhbreneman@...>
ENCOURAGEMENT TO WOMEN
Compiled especially for you with love by Lois Breneman
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YEAR ROUND ADMIRATION OF YOUR HUSBAND!
ANOTHER COMMENT ABOUT LOVE NOTES
TIPS AND TIDBITS
IF YOU GIVE A MOM A MUFFIN
SUGGESTIONS FOR INFLUENCING TEENS
WHITE (LIE) CAKE
HOW TO STAY MARRIED!
HOW TO PLAN GREAT FAMILY MEALS THAT YOUR FAMILY ENJOYS
NEW STAMPS HONORING MARRIAGE
THE CHURCH
WAITING
CUTE KID'S QUOTE
(Gift Ideas for Your Children to Give Their Daddy)
By Lois Breneman, © 2009, Heart to Heart Newsletter, [email protected]
SÔ¿ÔN (©¿©) °Ô¿Ô° Ô¿Ô >^;;^< † *Ü* JJJJ <:)))><<
__(-)> __(-)> __(-)> <(-)__ __(-)> Ask him if he's got all his ducks in a row.
___) ___) ___) (___/ ___) Some of you moms might be thinking of that child who is always going the opposite way!
_`<,_ For a dad who likes to go biking.
(_)/ (_) This could also refer to a bumpy road during tough times.
Thanks to Helen Rutrough in Virginia for her comment about the idea mentioned just below!
Ladies, this would be a fun idea for you and each of your children to do for their father on Father's Day!
I've been meaning to tell you since last Valentine's Day that I followed one of your suggestions of making hearts and writing on them things about Gary that I admire and things that have meant a lot to us in our marriage. I made 30 of them last year and laminated them so they would last and hung them around different places for him to find. After a couple days he had found them all but he told me not to take them down - that he wanted them left in place! Well they're been in place for almost a year now! Still hanging from his truck mirror, on his coffee mug, wrapped around a pair of socks, hanging in the laundry room, on our bedroom mirror, etc. It was a big hit with him and there's no plans to remove them any time soon!
HIDDEN LOVE NOTES FOR ANYTIME
By Lois Breneman, © Revised 2009, Heart to Heart Newsletter, [email protected]
(This is the article that inspired the previous segment, "Year Round Admiration of Your Husband."
For Valentine's Day eight years ago when my husband and I were married for thirty-two years, I traced and cut out 32 red hearts, and wrote on each one a reason why I loved my husband, things I appreciated about him, or wrote "remember when" memories of our dating years and 32 years as husband and wife. After punching a hole in each heart and inserting ribbons, I tied the notes everywhere so he would find them throughout the evening and into the next day -- on his socks, toothbrush, toothpaste tube, to the stem of an apple in his lunch, to the doorknob, to his silverware, under his plate, around his glass at dinner, inside his napkin, to his coffee mug, to his pillow, in his jacket pocket, etc. Later that evening I tied some to the steering wheel, his car keys, and tucked one in his lunch to find the next day. He was still finding red hearts the next day! I did this again this Valentine's Day - with 40 hearts.
Examples for notes:
I first knew that I loved you when...
I remember our first date...
I remember just before you asked me to marry you - how I felt your heart beating so fast while holding hands that I took your pulse and it was 110 beats per minute. Then, after you asked me to marry you, you took mine and it was 112! Pitter patter!
If you don't want to go to the bother of hiding the hearts (though it's lots of fun!), you could tie each one to a stem in a silk bouquet of flowers. Then you could display the flowers in your home as a sweet reminder of the love you share.
Two other variations of this idea:
(1) Color copy an entire page of pictures of you and your husband from during your dating years and afterwards. Crop the pictures and make a small scrapbook for your sweetie or simply glue them to card stock with cute captions.
(2) Use color copied pictures to make a little romantic booklet with fun captions for him.
Whatever you do, I'm sure he will love it! Other than our respect, our husbands need our acceptance, admiration and adoration, no matter what day it is or how many years we've been married. This quote is good, even after Valentine's Day. Make every day a special day!
"Despite its commercial underpinnings, I think Valentine's Day is a great idea. ... It's never too late to put a little excitement into your relationship. Marriages must be nurtured, or they can whither like a plant without water."
— Dr. James Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family
ANOTHER COMMENT ABOUT LOVE NOTES
Thanks for the information about leaving love/appreciation notes for the spouse. Being that I got this after our valentine newly-wed party in our church, I plan to use it and share it with the ladies in our church to do during Father's Day. We call it "Day of the Man," because many of our couples don't have children and/or spouses but attend our church and they feel left out so we try to make them all feel important for what they have contributed to the lives of those who they serve. The month of June we celebrate the whole month for all men, by doing special workshops during the men's service dealing with manhood/fatherhood. This is geared for those who are fathers/husbands/grandfathers. Then we complete it with a meal, a skit and a gift for the men. They look forward to the month of June, and now I will implement the love and appreciation notes. Thank you. ~ Jennie Ramos in Michigan
Age 6 and Up ~ Coffee Filter Butterfly Clips
Fun Summer Science Experiments to Keep Your Kids Learning While on Break ~ http://thehappyscientist.com ~ 120 videos and 342 science experiments
Ingredients: 2 cups raisins, 2 cups Chinese noodles, 1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter, 1/4 cup honey
Mix raisins and Chinese noodles in bowl. Put peanut butter and honey in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until smooth and hot (but not boiling). Pour over raisin mixture and toss with a fork until evenly coated. Shape rounded spoonfuls into 2 inch balls forming gently with fingers. Allow to cool. (Note: Stevia could be substituted for the honey - less carbs and calories).
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Top Tips for Dads on Bonding with Your Baby ~ One mother reveals a few activities to break the ice frozen around male-bonding with a baby. http://www.babycenter.com/0_top-tips-for-dads-on-bonding-with-your-baby_3692.bc
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IF YOU GIVE A MOM A MUFFIN
Author unknown
If you give a mom a muffin,
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll pour herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan for supper.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook ("101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger").
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The checkbook is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two-year-old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two year old's diaper.
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.
Her five-year-old will answer and hang up.
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.
Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.
And chances are...
If she ever gets to have a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that would have gone with it.
*(If using freshly milled golden wheat, you can use that for the full 2 cups, and have a lighter and healthier finished product).
3/4 cup sucanat, found in health section (You could use less of this natural sugar and add some stevia, a healthy sweetener)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup applesauce
2 cups grated carrots
½ cup chopped pecans, walnuts of sunflower seeds
½ cup undrained crushed pineapple 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 12-cup muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, soda and salt.
3. In a small bowl mix eggs and applesauce and add to flour mixture. Stir the batter just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
4. Fold in carrots, pecans and pineapple. Stir until blended.
5. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake 25-30 min. or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
6. Cool in tins for 10 minutes before removing.
* Freshly milled golden wheat will produce lighter breads and muffins, as all whole wheat flour from the grocery store will produce heavy loaves. The bread and muffins will be lighter if you use half whole wheat and half unbleached flour from the store.
Note: If anyone in your home is allergic to wheat, try spelt flour for baking and cooking. (Health food store)
By Lois Breneman, © 2000, Revised 2009, Heart to Heart Newsletter, [email protected]
Read ~ Go to the library and check out a bagful of books for each child and read to them every day. This is a special time of closeness and it will help instill the joy of reading in their own lives. If your child struggles with reading, get a good phonics program, and help him develop good reading skills during break. Give a small spiral notebook to each child to record each book he reads by himself (maybe just the thicker ones), along with the date. He will be glad someday that he did.
Develop Abilities ~ Learn a New Skill ~ Help your children develop their abilities and find their talents. Ask each child to choose at least one creative skill (with your assistance) to learn this summer. It may be sewing, cross-stitch, making mirrors, pillows or other crafts, wood working, wood carving (if old enough to handle a knife), drawing, painting, singing, playing a musical instrument, typing, writing poetry, writing short children's stories, rubber stamping, or a variety of skills. Help your child find books on the subject and read up on it. Many skills can be learned simply by following instructions in books. Or if you or your husband can teach that skill--great! If not, find a teacher for him or even learn the skill with your child. Another possibility is to swap skills with a friend---maybe she or her husband could teach your child how to do wood carving and you could teach her child how to do cross-stitch. If your children are very young, give them an art lesson at least one day each week, and possibly a simple cooking lesson another day (maybe with a friend).
Cooking ~ Cooking is something that everyone should learn, whether young or old, male or female. Our two sons were glad they knew how to cook when they living and working together out of state for the summer. Now that they are each married, their wives can count on them to cook when necessary. Check out some cookbooks specifically for children or use the ones you have, and give your children cooking lessons. Start with the basics. Give them a small notebook to list all the things they make during the summer. (It could be a section in the notebook mentioned above.) After they learn some basics, teach them how to plan and cook a family meal. A child of 10 - 12 should be able to make a complete simple meal, with a little help. Start with scrambled eggs, baked potatoes, hamburgers, rice, cooked fresh vegetables, muffins, quick bread, cookies, simple sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, deviled eggs, French toast, pizza, etc. Then go to omelets, cakes with icing, casseroles, scalloped potatoes, waffles, yeast bread, and planning an entire meal. If you enjoy crafts, cooking, and children, want to earn a little money for the summer and are able to handle it, pass the word around that you are going to give children's craft or cooking lessons during the summer for a fee. Many mothers would jump at the chance to have their child learn cooking from someone other than herself, which is a shame, but that would be better than not learning at all. Keep the classes small. If summer time is too busy, you may want to teach classes after school hours one day a week or just once a month.
Summer Chart ~ Make up a chart for each child, and include a quiet time, several jobs in the home, as well as reading, creative things, and a service for someone else. Plan a reward system. If your child cannot read, draw a picture chart and give him stars or happy faces to paste when he does a job. For making the bed, draw a bed, etc., and don't expect a perfect job.
Quiet Time ~ Have an hour of quiet for all of the children and for mom, possibly just after lunch, no matter what their ages. This can be time spent reading the Bible and praying, as well as reading other books, doing cross-stitch, or napping, but everyone must be quiet. Elisabeth Elliot's daughter, Valerie Shepherd, said how she requires this of her eight children every day. When our children gave up naps, I also required them to be quiet in their bedrooms, reading or resting for an hour. It was good for the children and it helped my sanity, if nothing else!
By Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN - May 14, 2009 - Used by permission
(Note from Lois: After reading this helpful article, spend some time thinking about these five points with your husband. Then be intentional in listing possible ways to use each of these five methods to bring about a good outcome.)
Even the best of parents must make some changes in the way they parent as their children grow up. The old methods of relating don't work the same way anymore. In fact, they seem to cause problems instead.
Of all the changes teens make, the most important one is probably the adjustment in their relationship with their parents. They're moving from a parent-child relationship to an adult-adult relationship. Unfortunately, some parents never make the shift. They continue to treat their teens as if they're still eight or nine years old. Honor helps parents recognize the changes and make the necessary adjustments.
Although you may be able to "control" young children, the key word for teenagers is "influence." Here are five words that describe different ways you can influence teens.
1. Teach - provide them with new information or help them understand another facet of life.
2. Encourage - remind them of the benefits of moving in the right direction.
3. Entreat - earnestly ask them to act in a mature, responsible, and wise way.
4. Admonish - warn, caution, or advise them by anticipating possible negative consequences.
5. Persuade - use relationship, rewards, and consequences to motivate them to make wise choices.
Remember that you don't have to accomplish everything in one interaction. Change takes time and your influence over time will produce the greatest results.
This tip comes from the book, Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, In You and Your Kids by Dr.Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN. You can sign up to receive parenting tips at http://www.biblicalparenting.org.
WHITE (LIE) CAKE
Author unknown - Thanks to Janis Weber Williamson in Tennessee for sending this!
Have you ever told a white lie? You are going to love this, especially all of those who bake for church events.
Alice Grayson was to bake a cake for the Baptist Church Ladies' Group in Tuscaloosa , but forgot to do it until the last minute. She remembered the morning of the bake sale; and, after rummaging through cabinets, found an angel food cake mix & quickly made it while drying her hair, dressing, & helping her son pack for Scout camp.
When Alice took the cake from the oven, the center had dropped flat and the cake was horribly disfigured. She thought, 'Oh dear, there is not time to bake another cake.'
This cake was important to Alice because she did so want to fit in at her new church and in her new community of friends. So, being inventive, she looked around the house for something to build up the center of the cake.
Alice found it in the bathroom - a roll of toilet paper. She plunked it in and covered it with icing. Not only did the finished product look beautiful, it looked perfect.
Before she left the house to drop the cake by the church and head for work, Alice woke her daughter Amanda and gave her some money and specific instructions to be at the bake sale the moment it opened at 9:30 and to buy the cake and bring it home.
When Amanda arrived at the sale, she found the attractive, perfect cake had already been sold. She grabbed her cell phone and called her mom.
Alice was horrified - she was beside herself. Everyone would know! What would they think? She would be ostracized, talked about, and ridiculed! All night, Alice lay awake in bed thinking about people pointing fingers at her and talking about her behind her back.
The next day, Alice promised herself she would try not to think about the cake and would attend the fancy luncheon/bridal shower at the home of a fellow church member and try to have a good time. Alice did not want to attend because the hostess was a snob who more than once had looked down her nose at Alice because she was a single parent and not from the founding families of Tuscaloosa, but having already sent her RSVP, she couldn't think of a believable excuse to stay home.
The meal was elegant, the company was definitely upper crust old South and to Alice 's horror, the cake in question was presented for dessert! Alice felt the blood drain from her body when she saw the cake!
She started out of her chair to tell the hostess all about it, but before she could get to her feet, the Mayor's wife said, 'What a beautiful cake!'
Alice still stunned, sat back in her chair when she heard the hostess (who was a prominent church member) say, 'Thank you, I baked it myself.'
Alice smiled and thought to herself, 'God is good.'
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HOW TO STAY MARRIED!
A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about. For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover. In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000. He asked her about the contents. "When we were to be married," she said, "my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll." The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness. A Prayer ... Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man; Love to forgive him; and Patience for his moods; Because Lord, if I pray for Strength, I'm afraid I might hurt him. And I don't know how to crochet. - Amen! |
HOW TO PLAN GREAT FAMILY MEALS THAT YOUR FAMILY ENJOYS
By Lois Breneman, © 2009, Heart to Heart Newsletter, [email protected]
Sit down with your husband and come up with a list of at least ten to twenty healthy dinners that you both really enjoy. Next sit down with your children and do the same. Some meal preferences will overlap, which is a good thing. Then make a list of the ingredients for these meals. It will save you lots of valuable time if you make at least two identical meals at a time and freeze one. My dear niece, Diane, recently assembled a large pan of lasagna while having her eleven year old daughter, Victoria, do the same right next to her. Not only did Victoria learn how to assemble and cook lasagna, but the family had Diane's lasagna pan to freeze for a future meal! This is a unique way to teach your children and grandchildren how to cook!
Many main dishes freeze very well, so why not purchase enough ingredients one week to make one, two or three of your family's favorite recipes in large quantities and freeze them to lighten your time in the kitchen this summer. You might want to choose all chicken dishes one week and ground beef recipes another week, until you have your freezer well stocked with a variety of meals. You will save yourself some work and time by cooking all the same type meat at once. Then assemble and label the meals and "squirrel" them away for a carefree mealtime later.
Casserole dishes can be reused for other meals even before those meals are eaten. Here's how. Freeze casseroles in dishes such as glass Corningware casseroles. After the casserole is frozen solid, remove it from the freezer by running hot water over the bottom and remove the food by carefully inserting a knife around the sides. It will pop right out. Wrap, label and date the meal with a permanent marker. Now those casserole dishes are ready for the next round of meal assembly!
Meat loaves can be assembled without any dishes. Simply wrap those in freezer paper. Unbaked quiche can be frozen for a delicious meal later. For healthier quiche, you can make a "crust" out of brown rice, seasoning and a beaten egg mixed in. Rather than adding sausage, use chicken or turkey and add sage and other spices to give it the sausage flavor.
Vegetables casseroles freeze well. Prepare casseroles of broccoli, green beans, carrots or mashed potatoes for great side dishes or all-vegetable meals.
THE U.S. POST OFFICE WANTS TWO MORE PENNIES FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
Excerpts in an article from FOXNews.com - Peel 'Em and Weep First-Class Stamps Rise 2 Cents - Local News News Articles National News US News.htm - Sent by Jalisa Wenger in Pennsylvania (Note: This will help us remember the latest rates!)
The price of a first-class stamp for mailing a letter — or paying a bill — climbed to 44 cents last Monday, though folks who planned ahead and stocked up on Forever stamps will still be paying the lower rate.
While the new 44-cent rate covers the first ounce of first-class mail, the price for each additional ounce will remain unchanged at 17-cents. Postal officials estimate the increase will cost the average household $3-a-year.
Other changes taking effect May 11:
— The postcard stamp increases 1 cent to 28 cents.
— The first ounce of a large envelope increases 5 cents to 88 cents.
— The first ounce of a parcel increases 5 cents to $1.22.
— New international postcard and letter prices are, for 1 oz., 75 cents to Canada; 79 cents to Mexico; and 98 cents elsewhere.
NEW STAMPS HONORING MARRIAGE
Although the cost of a one-ounce first class stamp went up to 44 cents this month, it is exciting to have a new stamp honoring the institution of marriage with two gold wedding rings on a stamp. A post office in Salem, Oregon, got into the spirit of recruiting some couples who had been married over 50 years to help introduce this new stamp.
THE CHURCH
Author unknown - Thanks to Jalisa Wenger in Pennsylvania for passing this along.
The Church needs youth and older folks too.
The Church needs Timothys to succeed Paul to carry on the work of the Church.
The Church needs Moseses who use what capabilities God has given them.
The Church needs Daniels who have purpose of heart.
The Church needs people such as the Hebrew boys who will neither bend, budge nor burn.
The Church needs Lydias who are hospitable.
The Church needs Joshuas who are strong and courageous.
The Church needs Ruths who determine to take the right course.
The Church needs Samuels who will hear the voice of God.
The Church needs Davids who are men after God's own heart.
The Church needs Jonathan's with a working trust in God.
The Church needs Jeremiahs who will weep for lost souls.
The Church needs Agabuses who see the need of the Church to stay close to the Word.
The Church needs Barnabuses who are good men and full of the Holy Spirit.
The Church needs Marys who will sit at the feet of Jesus, who are willing to be taught by the Word.
The Church needs pillars and not leaners.
The church needs ... YOU!
The Circuit 'Riter, Michael Ullrich - http://www.In-His-Steps.com - For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
To subscribe, e-mail: [email protected] - Used by permission
Isaiah 40:28-31 "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
Waiting is one of the hardest things for many in the western culture to do. Remember the "good old days" when it might take a week to get a letter from a loved one? I made regular stops each day at my college mailbox hoping that a letter had arrived from the young woman who is now my wife. One time her letter got lost in the mail. Oh, the agony of that week!
Now days, I have trouble waiting for my e-mail to download. Somehow, I don't seem to have as much time as I used to, in spite of quicker communications.
Someone has said, "the only thing harder than waiting for God, is wishing you had!" God's people down through the ages have learned this, often the hard way. Isaiah had probably been through it himself as he prayed that Israel would listen to God's message and respond, but nothing seemed to happen.
Isaiah wrote, "but those who hope (put waiting trust) in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Is. 40:31).
Although waiting can be very hard, the consequences of hurrying before the Lord will far outweigh the pain of waiting. Additionally, the benefits are based in the promises of God! It is hard to wait, but, oh to know what it means to soar like an eagle!
CUTE KID'S QUOTE
Ladies, please send your children and grandchildren's cute quotes to me to include in the newsletter, okay?
My six year old grandson, Max, told me I smell pretty good for a grandma. I'm honored. ~ Janis Williamson in Tennessee
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@.... New subscribers will receive a "Start-Up Kit."
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