7/18/09 Help, Weddings, Children's TV, Family Time Devotions, Relays, Recipes, Organization, Empty Nest
Posted by: jhbreneman <jhbreneman@...>
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HEART TO HEART NEWSLETTER ~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~ Please let me know if you stop receiving the newsletter, but did not unsubscribe.
WOULD YOU LADIES PLEASE SHARE SOME MONEY-SAVING WEDDING TIPS AND IDEAS WITH ME? Would you consider doing a "Wedding" theme newsletter soon, after inquiring from your readers how to save money and still put together a lovely wedding on a low budget. I am sure that there are other families out there, who, like us, have chosen to have more time together, than money, and yet face the prospect of a wedding for their daughter. How do they make those dollars s-t-r-e-t-c-h? What are great Do-It-Yourself reception foods---which ones can be made ahead? How do you save money on flowers, decorations, bridal attire, photos, cake, etc!! Our family would LOVE to have the help of your readers---and from YOU! We are looking at an early fall wedding, so we need help SOON! CHRISTMAS IN JULY BONANZA NEW CHILDREN'S TV PROGRAM - EXCELLENT! DON'T MISS THIS! THE KEY TO MAKING DEVOTIONS FUN The language of children is activity. When teaching children spiritual truths it's best to speak in their language. A family devotion time should be the most fun part of the week. If you use their language they'll not only enjoy family time but they'll be eager for more. Heres one idea: complaining can be a problem in any family, and not just among children. You might start by reading the story in Numbers 14 about the time that the Israelites complained about the food. Youll learn that God disciplined them by sending a plague. Then get out the cold oatmeal and play the "Cold Oatmeal Plague Game." Have kids pretend to complain like the Israelites and then you put some cold oatmeal on their bare arms. You can have some "grace wipes" handy to illustrate how God's grace cleans up our lives. Kids will have a lot of fun with this and most importantly, will remember the lesson forever. As you take time to talk about complaining versus gratefulness, you're teaching a practical application of God's Word in family life. A great resource containing many activities to teach spiritual truths to children is available on our website. We published six Family Time Activities books. In fact, we're offering you a special on these books to buy one and get the second one at half off. Just use this coupon code FTT07 when you check out. Learn more at http://www.biblicalparenting.org/familytime.asp THE BOMBARDIER BEETLE "Then God said, 'Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind;' and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:24-25). GOD'S ACCURACY God's accuracy may be observed in the hatching of eggs. For example:
Even a small family can enjoy relay races together -- just for fun! Anything Goes - No one may duplicate what someone else does. The first person may run; the second one hops; the third skips; the next runs with arms out; etc. Backwards Walk - Walk backwards to the goal line. Ball Bounce - Bounce a ball to the goal line and back. Ball Kick - Kick the ball, with one foot, to goal line and back again. Balloon Break - Run to goal line where there is a chair; sits on a balloon until it breaks. Crab Walk - Walk sideways to designated goal and back OR walk on hands and feet with belly up. Duck Walk - Bend down with hands on ankles. Walk like ducks, without bending the knees. Elephant Walk - Bend over and hold hands together with arms hanging in front like an elephant. One-Legged - Hop on one leg to goal line and run back to tag the next person. Skip and Run - Skip to goal line and run back. Soak and Squeeze - You need: sponge, bucket of water and large empty bowl. First person soaks the sponge and runs to the goal line where there is a large empty bowl. The sponge is squeezed with the water going into the bowl. Spider Walk - Walk on all fours (hands and feet) to the goal line. Walk Backwards - Walk backwards to the goal line. After all these fun activities, head inside to view Mary Rice Hopkins & Puppets With A Heart DVD which is non-stop fun! Available from http://www.MaryRiceHopkins.com. (Segments from this DVD are being aired on TBNs Smile of a Child. Mary and Darcie will soon be taping with TBN for regular programming. Ralph Winter, Hollywood producer of X-men and Wolvereen, is overseeing the production.) BRAIN FITNESS NEWS A Delicious Defense Against Dementia? Sleep Helps Brain Find Solutions PINEAPPLE MANGO CHICKEN 1 can crushed pineapple (or tidbits) in its own juice, drained Make the pineapple mango salsa by combining and mixing the first 5 ingredients. Slice each chicken breast in half with a chef's knife, forming thin slices. Sprinkle cumin or Mexican seasoning over both sides of each piece of chicken. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and lightly brown one side. Turn chicken over and spoon the pineapple mango salsa over the chicken. Cook, covered, until the second side is lightly browned. Salt to taste. If you family likes coconut, sprinkle toasted unsweetened coconut and/or toasted slivered almonds on top. You can toast coconut or almonds in the microwave for a few minutes. Just watch that they don't burn.
3 cups brown rice, uncooked Freeze in freezer Ziplock bags for easy meals later. FOUR CHEESE ROASTED VEGETABLES 6 carrots, pared and cut into 1/2-inch slices 2 tbsp. olive oil (sometimes I use extra - depends how many vegetables I use) 2 tsp. each basil and oregano, crushed 2 tsp. each salt and pepper or herb seasoning 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 (8 oz.) Sargento 4 Cheese Country Casserole Recipe Blend - I have not been able to find that blend for the last couple years and so I mix my own. It was a blend of Cheddar, American, Monterey Jack and Muenster cheeses, but I just use Cheddar, and Monterey Jack. Whatever you prefer will work. 1. Place potatoes and carrots in greased baking dish. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Toss lightly to coat. TACO PIE This is an easy recipe that also allows you to make use of those crumbs that accumulate in the bottom of the taco chip bags! (My husband really loves taco chips, so maybe we end up with more crumbs than your average household) . 1 pound hamburger Crust: Cook hamburger, add onions and add taco seasoning or chili seasoning to taste.
Longer Lasting Sharp Razor Blades ~ Wet blades become dull, but you can make your blades last and remain sharp for several months if you put your razor in a small amount of rubbing alcohol or blow it dry for a few seconds with your blow dryer. Of course, I'm not speaking of electric razors here! Multiple Sized Patterns for Sewing ~ Many patterns now have multiple sizes on one pattern. In order not to cut off any larger sizes, trace the pattern you need onto freezer paper and use the freezer paper to cut out your fabric pattern pieces. Simply iron the freezer paper onto your fabric. The shiny side of the paper will stick to the fabric, so pins are not even necessary to cut out the pattern pieces! This not only saves your pattern, but saves you time in pinning. Homemade Laundry Soap ~ If you are having trouble locating all three ingredients to easily make your own laundry soap for a few pennies per load, ask your grocer if you may fill out a form to special order what you need. Let them know of the demand for Fels-Naptha soap bars, Arm and Hammer washing soda and Borax. Dinners for Eight ~ For an enjoyable evening out with three other couples once a month, take turns hosting a dinner and a possible activity. The host would prepare the appetizer, meat, potatoes and beverage. The other three couples would bring the salad, vegetable and dessert. The host could call the other three couples to make suggestions of foods that would compliment the meal. Entertainment might be a game, a good movie, or a good discussion. This is much less costly than eating out and you get to enjoy the company of your friends. If one couple is unable to participate one month, the host could ask another couple. My husband and I used to head up the Fellowship Dinners in two churches we attended, where 44 couples sign up and during an eight month period, each couple hosted twice, and got to be with different couples each month. Shop in Your Own Closets ~ There is never a need to pay full price for certain items, if you buy supplies in multiples when they are on sale. Your "closet shopping" will often save you extra trips to the store as well. Supplies that qualify are items such as tissues, toilet paper, paper towels (if you use them at all), toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, cotton balls, buff puffs (dollar store), skin creams and lotions, chapstick, lipstick, face powder, shampoo and conditioner, hair spray, liquid hand soap, soap bars, bath and shower gels, baby wash, diapers, baby wipes, and other baby supplies, body powder, mouthwash, deodorant, razors, Bandaids, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, bleach, OxiClean, laundry detergent or the 3 supplies to make your own for 3 cents per load), fabric softener, glass cleaner and other cleaning supplies, Magic Erasers, plastic wrap, foil, wax paper, parchment paper, garbage bags, Ziplock bags and other supplies that have a long shelf life. Some canned or bottled items can still be bought only on sale, but don't buy too much too far ahead. Keep an eye on the expiration dates. If your closets don't provide enough space for storing these items, organize an area in your storage space, using boxes if there aren't enough shelves. Long Distance Savings ~ We used to use several long distance services, but always found mistakes in their billing. For the past eight or so years we've used One Suite at 2.9 cents per minute anytime in all of the U.S. and low rates worldwide. We pay ahead of time Online in multiples of $10 which gives us 344.8 minutes of long distance visiting. You can check your phone calls Online, but we have never found a mistake in all those years! A great money saving tip - http://www.onesuite.com. We have punched the numbers into our phone memory (Memory 1 for the 800 number, and Memory 2 for our pin number). When we're away from home we can use it for long distance as well. This makes a nice gift as well. Saving on Freezer Bags ~ Many times I freeze smaller portions of food in storage bags or even sandwich bags, then put them all into one large freezer bag. It cuts down on more expensive freezer bags, although you can find good freezer and storage bags, as well as plastic wrap (Glad brand) at Dollar General. Using Every Bit of the Lipstick ~ After you've used a lipstick tube until it's flat, you will find there's still a couple week's worth left in the tube. Use a lipstick brush to reach in and use it all up. Chapstick ~ When you've used a tube of chapstick until it's flat, use a small knife to dig out the remainder and apply to another tube, after you have lowered the top part of the chapstick. Smooth it out and stick it in the freezer for icy relief. Sinus Congestion Relief ~ NeilMed can be found at Walmart for about $10. It contains many packets of salt which is poured into the bottle which is included. The salt water solution, with a perfect ratio, is used for squirting salt water into the nostrils for relief. No burning, but instant relief. Family Movie Night ~ Hallmark has some very good movies. Most are family oriented, though not all of them are. Why not tape some and check them out. Then if some are suitable for a Family Movie Night, use them to enjoy with your family. You may be able to find some at your local library as well. Pop some popcorn and enjoy your time together as a family! Family Game Night ~ Some of the most fun times we've had as a family were time sitting around the kitchen table, laughing as we played many table games. Don't let the TV, business or tiredness rob you of these memorable times. Family Puzzle Night ~ While on vacation last month, our daughter brought along a large brightly colored family puzzle of beach scenes, with three different sections in large, medium and small pieces. I helped our grandson do the larger pieces, then we helped Paw Paw finish the medium sized pieces. He and Justin moved on to other things and I moved on to help Joy with the tiniest pieces. We were down to fitting in the last three pieces, when we realized one piece of this brand new puzzle was missing! Joy knows her dad pretty well and called to him, "Okay, Dad! We know you have it! Bring us that last piece!" He pulled it out of his pocket and finished the puzzle! He loves to say he finished the puzzle! Steven Curtis Chapman Singing "Cinderella" ~ His four year old daughter, Maria, unexpectedly died in a tragic accident last year. This is a song he wrote before the accident. On this video at about 48 seconds there will be a picture a Virginia "Heart to Heart" friend, Jen Larson's husband, Mike and daughter, Annika! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRo3-qjvZ5A USE A DRESSER TO ORGANIZE YOUR GARAGE It seems like organizing your garage can be a never ending task. Lots of companies make millions of dollars selling all kinds of storage systems to try to make your garage just a little bit more organized. OK I'm about to confess -- We've had this problem, too! I know, it's hard to believe, isn't it? The cool thing is we found a great organization tool that cost us nothing. We have a dresser that was given to us by a relative. It's an old 1970's style dresser with nine drawers. It is about three feet tall, eight feet wide and two feet deep. It was one of those pieces of furniture that makes one wonder, "Why would anyone ever have bought that?" It had the faux wood countertop on top and the drawer faces were covered with those really tacky twirly relief patterns people really liked in the 70's. Still, much to my husband's surprise, I could see the value in it! I painted it black (except for the wood top) and then put in the garage to store stuff. Even my husband has been surprised to see how well it has worked out for us. Here's what I did: First, I designated each drawer as a place for one category of supplies, and I marked each drawer with a little index card that I stapled to the front of the drawer with a staple gun. One drawer is for electrical items. This includes outlets, outlet covers, electrical testing equipment, wire crimpers, lamp pieces and any other electrical thing we are likely to use. (Just as with any organizing, don't save stuff you'll never use just because you can. We have a drawer for paint supplies: roller handles, paint brushes, sand paper and such. (We don't keep paint there -- We have a separate small plastic shelf unit with our stash of paint). The top left drawer is our nail and screw drawer. We have two plastic embroidery floss organizers, each with twenty or so slots. We use one organizer for nails and the other for screws. When both of these containers are in the drawer, there is still room for a few whole boxes of the nails and screws we use most often. We seem to have problems with cords, so one drawer is just for cords. It includes a few lamp cords, cable wire, phone wire and other cords. I make each one into a coil and slide it into a toilet paper roll to keep it separate from the others. My husband likes to just wind each one up and wrap it like a noose. There is a drawer that includes nothing but batteries, one for glues and adhesives and another dedicated exclusively to light bulbs. Another drawer is for miscellaneous hardware. This is the drawer for felt chair legs, baby locks, door stops and all kinds of other items that don't have homes in any of the other drawers. We also have one drawer set aside for miscellaneous tools. This drawer is for those tools that we don't use every day, but that come in handy every now and then. We use it for things like pipe wrenches, channel locks, a wire brush and extra socket sets. On top of the dresser, I placed several small rectangular plastic containers the size of shoe boxes. One has hammers and such, one has screwdrivers, one has pliers and crescent wrenches. I have four or five of these all together. Essentially, they contain the tools we use most often. This arrangement also leaves us a little counter space on the dresser. Using an old dresser for this purpose has made life so easy! I see them all the time at garage sales for $10. This is well worth the price for the amount of storage you can get and if you like to find new uses for things that otherwise might hit the landfill, an old dresser might just do the trick! Think outside the box! "WARSHING" CLOTHES RECIPE Never thought of a "washer" in this light before..what a blessing! "Warshing Clothes Recipe" -- imagine having a recipe for this! Years ago an Alabama grandmother gave the new bride the following recipe: this is the exact copy as written and found in an old scrapbook - with spelling errors and all. Warshing Clothes Build fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water. Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert. Shave one hole cake of lie soap in boilin water.. sort things, make 3 piles, l white, 1 colored, 1 work To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with boiling water. Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and boil, then rub colored don't boil just wrench and starch. Take things out of kettle with broom stick handle, then wrench, and starch. Hang old rags on fence. Spread tea towels on grass. Pore wrench water in flower bed. Scrub porch with hot soapy water. Turn tubs upside down. Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs.. Brew cup of tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.
Please help! I lost at least two birth announcements this month with our computer snag, so please do send them once more. Charlotte Collette Gary was welcomed into the world on June 21, 2009. She is the first child of Jack and Cortney Gary. Joe and Joyce Cronin are the happy grandparents of eight precious grandchildren! They are all living in Virginia.
Joshua Ethan Raker was born on July 8, 2009. His blessed parents are Jared and Alyssa Raker. Big brother, Caleb, welcomes his brother. The family lives in Asia Minor. With names like Joshua and Caleb, anything is possible!
Many Heart to Heart ladies and their families need our prayers,
so please remember to pray for each Heart to Heart lady as you receive your newsletter.
(¨`·.·´¨) God bless you and your family and keep you in His loving care!
`·.¸(¨`·.·´¨) And remember, I love to hear from you dear ladies!
`·.¸.·´ Your Heart to Heart friend,
Lois
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 [email protected]. New subscribers will receive a "Start-Up Kit." 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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