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8/19/03 Gems, Marriage, Quesadillas, Lunch Packing, A Keeper

#1 · August 19, 2003, 5:49 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on August 19, 2003, 5:49 pm
Posted by: jhbreneman <jhbreneman@...>

HEART TO HEART NEWSLETTER
ENCOURAGEMENT TO WOMEN
Compiled especially for YOU with LOVE by Lois Breneman

8/19/03 GEMS, MARRIAGE, QUESADILLAS, LUNCH PACKING, A KEEPER

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^

CONTENTS:

PRICELESS PRECIOUS GEMS

REDUCING THE CHANCE OF DIVORCE

COMMUNICATION IN MARRIAGE

MARRIAGE QUOTE

MARRIAGE AS ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN

SIMPLE WAYS TO STUDY NATURE

BARBEQUE CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

LUNCH PACKING IDEAS

A KEEPER

PERSONAL NOTE

PRICELESS PRECIOUS GEMS

By Ethel Crosby and Virginia Knowles

(Note from Lois: Ladies, if you have any kids' quotes to send to be used in Heart to Heart, I'd be grateful. They can even be quotes that you said as a young girl. I will include them in the newsletter either with or without your name - just let me know. Thanks!)

*My great-grandson, 4 year old Jordon in North Carolina, wanted to talk to me on the phone recently. He always calls me, Great-Grandma, emphasizing the Great! (I am 88 years old.) He very seriously asked, Are you ready for heaven, Great-Grandma?

I said, Yes, Im ready and anxious!

Jordon went on to talk about his grandpa, saying, Poppy is old, but you are real old! Then he said, I have a letter that I want you to take to heaven, because youll be going to heaven soon! I wrote a letter to God and I want you to give it to God! Jordon cant write yet, but he had some letters of the alphabet written out on a sheet of paper for God. He folded his letter up while we were still on the phone and put it into an envelope right away, his dad told me. No one is sure what he wants to say to God, but thats certain to be another story! ~ Ethel Crosby, Virginia

*When my son, Tim, was little, his grandpa scolded him for something. Later we found Tim kneeling by his bed, crying out in repentance, God, forgive me! God, forgive me! ~ Ethel Crosby, Virginia

*You know how young children always beg to say the blessing before a meal. When my granddaughter, Mia, was 3 years old she prayed:

Lord, I thank you for this food.

Ive already tasted it and its very good! ~ Ethel Crosby, Virginia

*Micah (almost 4) is my constant source of amusement. (He was the one who wanted to know if llamas had earwax.) He wanted to weigh himself at the grocery store the other day, and took off his shoes before he stepped on the scale. (Hes been watching me do this in a vain attempt to weigh as little as possible.) Micah, not quite getting this concept, held his little blue sandals in his hands when he got on the scale! Oh, he is 36 pounds of pure cute! (Well, maybe about 8 ounces of that was shoe!) ~ Reprinted with permission of Virginia Knowles from the Hope Chest Home School News. For a free subscription, send an e-mail message to [email protected] or visit http://www.hopechest.homestead.com/welcome.html

REDUCING THE CHANCE OF DIVORCE

Based on an informal survey of six hundred people who had maintained successful marriages, Dr. James Dobson arrived at "three tried and tested, back to basics recommendations" for reducing the chances of divorce and for maintaining marital stability:

* A Christ-centered home where the husband and wife are deeply committed to Jesus Christ;

* A committed love in which nothing short of death is permitted to come between the couple (in contrast to the idea that 'I'll stay with you as long as I feel love for you'); and

* A never-ending willingness to work at maintaining good communication. People are not looking for perfect marriages, but [for] marriages that keep working. But even these less-than-perfect marriages have evaded many in the baby-boom generation. Marital instability has been taken for granted in this low-commitment era, and divorce has come to be seen as a reasonable way to get out of an unhappy marriage. As a result, the United States has the highest divorce rate in the world.

James Dobson, "Love For a Lifetime: Building a Marriage That Will Go the Distance," Portland: Multnomah, 1987, pp.49-66, Submitted by Rowland Croucher of John Mark Ministries

COMMUNICATION IN MARRIAGE

While attending a marriage seminar on communication, David and his wife listened to the instructor declare, "It is essential that husbands and wives know the things that are important to each other."

            He addressed the man, "Can you describe your wife's favorite flower?" David leaned over, touched his wife's arm gently and whispered, "Pillsbury All-Purpose, isn't it?"

A discontented husband went to a lawyer to obtain a divorce from his wife of many years.

The lawyer asked the man, Do you have any grounds? To which the husband replied, Just five acres.

Do you have a grudge? questioned the lawyer. The husband said, Yes, I have a garage out in back of the house.

The lawyer, a bit frustrated, then asked the man why he wanted a divorce. The husband said, Well, because we just cant communicate anymore!

A little girl and a little boy were at day care one day. The girl approaches the boy and says, "Hey Stevie, wanna play house?" He says, "Sure! What do you want me to do?" The girl replies, "I want you to communicate." He says to her, "that word is too big. I have no idea what it means." The little girl smirks and says, "Perfect. You can be the husband."

MARRIAGE QUOTE: Love is grand. Divorce is a hundred grand.

MARRIAGE AS ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN

Join one million Americans in the Petition of Support for the Federal Marriage Amendment. This will be sent to President Bush as well as your states House Representative and two Senators. Please join in this national effort to preserve marriage as one man and one woman by going to http://onemanonewoman.com

SIMPLE WAYS TO STUDY NATURE

Copyright Catherine Levison

Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Nature study is an excellent means of introducing your children to scientific ideas and relationships. Here are a few simple ideas to share:

1) Pressing and mounting flowers on cardboard. Write the flowers' names and where and when you found them. I recently saw a photo-album used to store pressed flowers. Having a field guide to identify flowers and flowering trees is very helpful.

2)   A calendar devoted to nature observation could be kept with simple entries on when the leaves first fell or the fruit tree in your yard first ripened for the year.

3) Collect and observe leaves. Children should know the leaves of their neighborhood. For example they can begin to notice that some leaves are heart shaped, some are divided, and some fall off in the winter.

4) Observe flowers in your yard, local park, or even a city window box. With time, children will be able to distinguish between petal, sepal, and other flower parts.

5) Give children a pocket magnifying glass and possibly a microscope. We like using the magnifying glass better. Buy the best one you can afford and check it at the store -- they seem to vary in how they focus.

6) Teach children to notice winds and tell them the wind is named by what direction it comes from (for example, yourself being a Canadian because you were born in Canada -- you don't become French when you travel to France).

7) Have children walk a distance and then measure how far they've walked.

8) Children can try to feed and observe city birds such as sparrows and pigeons.

9) Place a caterpillar in a box with a netting over it and watch it spin.

10) Keep an ant farm. We had a good one this past winter.

11) Take children a pond, gather some frogs' eggs, and place the eggs in a large glass jar. After the tadpoles begin to form legs, take them back and release them at the pond.

12) Someone suggested to me that children keep silkworms, but I have no personal experience with that, although it sounds interesting.

The point is, even in the city, they should get their knowledge of nature first hand and get into the habit of being in touch with nature.

_____________________________________________________________________

--Catherine Levison has over a decade of homeschooling experience. She's the mother of five children, and also a grandmother. Catherine's the author of the popular book, A Charlotte Mason Education: A How-To Manual, the sequel More Charlotte Mason Education, and her newest book A Literary Education. Visit Catherine online & read more articles at: <ahref="http://christianity.com/cmason/">http://christianity.com/cmason/</a>

BARBEQUE CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

Contributed by Candy Frey and Julie Druck, both from Pennsylvania

Cook three chicken breasts by boiling them in a pot of water and allowing them to just set in that water for a few hours. It really makes them moist! Pull the meat apart into strips. Pour as much barbecue sauce as youd like over the cooked chicken pieces. Place four 10" flour tortillas on a flat cookie sheet. Spread the chicken over the tortillas. Sprinkle chopped onions and/or peppers (plus anything else you like!) over the chicken. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Cover with four more tortillas over top and spray lightly with Pam. Bake at 300 for 15 minutes or so to slightly crisp and brown the tortillas and melt the cheese.

LUNCH PACKING IDEAS

By Lois Breneman ~ "Heart to Heart" Newsletter ~ [email protected]

We all run out of fresh new ideas for lunches! Hopefully after reading this, you will be inspired to try a few new ideas. To keep food cold until lunchtime, use a small insulated bag or a frozen blue gel bag (inside a plastic bag) in a regular lunch bag. How about some fried chicken and potato, macaroni or bean salad, fresh vegetables (carrots, celery, red/yellow or green pepper strips, cucumber strips, cauliflower), a few olives, dill pickles, turkey ham & cheese crackers (separate crackers so they won't get soggy), granola, almost any type of finger foods? You can use small plastic baggies and eat right out of an individual serving baggie and just toss it in the garbage. No big clean up. If you have a wide mouth thermos, think about some hot soup (tomato, potato, chicken-corn or chicken-rice, etc.) with cheese and crackers or send hot meatballs in a thermos with a hot dog bun (in a baggie). Use you imagination for other food you can heat and put in the thermos.

If your children or husband like yogurt, that is a great, quick item to grab and put into lunches. Include a plastic spoon, if they cannot use one at work or school. If your husband has a microwave at work, give him a can of soup (I retrieve the Campbell's Soup labels first to give to our Christian school for free supplies, so my husband takes a blank can to work!). Many varieties of soup can be homemade in a large kettle, put into a microwavable container and stored in the freezer until needed for lunches, and microwaved at lunchtime.

One or more kinds of fruit - an apple, orange, grapefruit, pear, banana, grapes, peaches, plums, watermelon or cantaloupe (I peel the melons) are always in my husband's lunches. (Remember the 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day recommended to help prevent disease.)

For a stuffed apple or "walking apple," core the apple, plug up the bottom hole with a prune or dried apricot, fill with peanut butter, raisins, sunflower seeds, nuts, and plug up the top hole or dip in wheat germ or sunflower seeds. These can be made ahead for three days, wrapped in plastic and stored in the fridge until needed. Both kids and grown-ups love these! This also prevents kids from wasting the apple by leaving a lot of fruit around the core.

If the persons you pack lunches for do not mind taking Tupperware or Rubbermaid containers, the possibilities are unlimited! Pack a variety of foods in containers ahead of time and store in the fridge or freezer, depending what it is. This is a huge time saver and kids can help! Pack applesauce, canned fruit, deviled or hard cooked eggs, soup or casseroles to be heated in a microwave, salads of all types. If a salad dressing or dip is needed, use the Tupperware midget cups. They are perfect for raisins, nuts and seeds, as well, and it is worth having lots of them so you can get them filled and ready ahead of time. Snack zip lock bags also work, if your child doesn't like to bother with containers, and I think this is what most teenagers prefer. They like their lunch in a brown bag and no containers! Can you relate to that? Younger children like the nice insulated lunch bags, and husbands go with the flow, but teenagers got to have those plain brown bags! Peer pressure, I suppose. Fresh green salads can also be put into disposable bowls and covered with plastic or foil. Send dressing in foil or buy the individual packages.

Sandwiches can be frozen to save lots of time. Good freezer fillings include peanut butter, sliced meats and poultry, cheeses or tuna mixed with a dip. Spread a little salad dressing or margarine on the bread as a coating before freezing. The reason you've heard not to use mayonnaise is because it may break down a bit, but it is safe and I have often used it in frozen sandwiches. Sour cream with spices added for flavor or dips can be used in place of mayonnaise and they will not break down. When I used to have four lunches to pack each day, I would get all the sandwich supplies and make sandwiches assembly line style. My family had a lot of peanut butter, turkey-ham and cheese sandwiches on whole wheat bread through the years, as well as other varieties. Sandwiches will keep in the fridge for several days. They can also be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in a bread bag in the freezer and retrieved when needed. A sandwich that's removed from the freezer in the morning or even the night before will help keep the other food cold and will not spoil by lunchtime at room temperature. An insulated bag helps prevent spoilage even when there are no frozen items. Some lettuce can be stored in a baggie and packed with the sandwiches to be added at lunchtime.

For peanut butter sandwiches, a thin layer of peanut butter spread on each piece of bread and a layer of jelly on top of the peanut butter will prevent the bread not to get soggy from the jelly.  I have been freezing peanut butter sandwiches for years for quick and easy retrieving when packing lunches. Try mixing raisins, grated carrots, coconut or chopped apples in the peanut butter for variety. Honey can also be mixed with it, but omit the jelly. Pack apple slices, dipped in orange or lemon juice to prevent browning, along with peanut butter as a dip or one of the peanut butter mixtures in a midget cup.

Salty foods in moderation add to variety in packed lunches. Salty snacks like sunflower seeds, soy nuts, sesame sticks or cheddar sticks at the health food store, peanuts, pretzels. almonds, cashews and cheese curls are some examples.

When it comes to desserts, remember they are not needed. We have gotten into a mind set, where we think we always have to include a dessert. Fruits are quite sweet and can be a healthy substitute. Try dried fruit too such as apple slices, apricots, raisins, pineapple, papaya. For the days when a dessert is added, you can offer a better dessert by baking it yourself and wrapping all at once. Having your children help will not only help you, but will teach them how to work. They will also see how much you care about giving them good lunches and that it doesn't just happen automatically. Make large cookies with a small ice cream scoop, apple-oatmeal bars, nutritious muffins, banana bread, etc. and try cutting down on the amount of sugar called for in the recipes. The more sugar one has, the more he wants. Sugar is addictive.

A very good friend of mine keeps lunch supplies on hand and always has her three children pack their lunches, as well as do their own laundry. It would work to have children take turns with lunches by the week, if they are old enough for the job. If they not capable yet, have them help you do it, and they will learn. Packing lunches the night before saves a lot of hassle in the morning!

If any of you would like to share new lunch packing ideas with the rest of us, we could all welcome your tips. This is a job that can get very monotonous, not only for the one packing the lunches, but for the ones eating them! Try packing for someone with a wheat allergy!

NOT HOME YET

Read 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

            It is said that a missionary from a foreign field was sailing to the United States to retire. The ship also bore the President of the United States. While docking, a large cheering crowd had gathered to greet the President, while the missionary slipped off with no fanfare. In his heart, he began to wonder if his work had all been worth it. He had affected many lives but no one seemed to notice his homecoming. Soon his heart was pricked when God's Spirit gently reminded him, "But my child, you're not home yet!"

            It's easy for us to get focused on this world around us and forget that it is not our home. Paul told the erring Corinthians, " We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

            Where's your focus today? If things are not going well around you, do you lose heart? When you do not get the acclaim you "deserve", are you ready to give up? Are you so attached to this world that you forget you are a citizen of the Kingdom of God?

            Your focus, your perspective, your hope, is to be set on things not seen. Don't let this material world around you become more than it is. Instead, "set your minds on things above, not on earthly things your life is now hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:2-3)

The Circuit 'Riter, Michael Ullrich, www.In-His-Steps.com

Online book http://www.SharetheBook.com/

A KEEPER ~ Author Unknown, Contributed by Gladys Weddle of Virginia

I grew up in the fifties with practical parents -- a mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it.   A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones. Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, dishtowel in the other.

It was the time for fixing things -- a curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep. It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy.

All that re-fixing, reheating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful.   Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more. But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any 'more.'

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away, never to return.   So while we have it, it's best we love it, care for it, fix it when it's broken and heal it when it's sick.

This is true for marriage, old cars and children with bad report cards. And dogs with bad hips, aging parents and grandparents.

We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away - or a classmate we grew up with.

There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special, and so, we keep them close!

PERSONAL NOTE

Ladies, you all are keepers too! So if you change your e-mail address, please let me know, so we dont lose contact. Thanks! I welcome hearing from you, especially if you have never e-mailed me a personal message. After all, you hear from me every week, and I'd love to hear from you! Tell me about you and your family, send kids' quotes or new family or homemaking contributions for Heart to Heart. God bless you all ~ from your Heart to Heart friend, Lois

"The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." Psalm 138:8
"Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
You have made my lot secure." Psm. 16:5

Friends may subscribe to "Heart to Heart" by e-mailing [email protected] and sending their first and last name, city, state and name of the person who referred them to this newsletter. If at any time you stop receiving this newsletter, please let me know, so I can correct it. To unsubscribe, please reply with a brief message. Thank you!

Posted by: jhbreneman <jhbreneman@...>

HEART TO HEART NEWSLETTER
ENCOURAGEMENT TO WOMEN
Compiled especially for YOU with LOVE by Lois Breneman

8/19/03 GEMS, MARRIAGE, QUESADILLAS, LUNCH PACKING, A KEEPER

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^

CONTENTS:

PRICELESS PRECIOUS GEMS

REDUCING THE CHANCE OF DIVORCE

COMMUNICATION IN MARRIAGE

MARRIAGE QUOTE

MARRIAGE AS ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN

SIMPLE WAYS TO STUDY NATURE

BARBEQUE CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

LUNCH PACKING IDEAS

A KEEPER

PERSONAL NOTE

PRICELESS PRECIOUS GEMS

By Ethel Crosby and Virginia Knowles

(Note from Lois: Ladies, if you have any kids' quotes to send to be used in Heart to Heart, I'd be grateful. They can even be quotes that you said as a young girl. I will include them in the newsletter either with or without your name - just let me know. Thanks!)

*My great-grandson, 4 year old Jordon in North Carolina, wanted to talk to me on the phone recently. He always calls me, Great-Grandma, emphasizing the Great! (I am 88 years old.) He very seriously asked, Are you ready for heaven, Great-Grandma?

I said, Yes, Im ready and anxious!

Jordon went on to talk about his grandpa, saying, Poppy is old, but you are real old! Then he said, I have a letter that I want you to take to heaven, because youll be going to heaven soon! I wrote a letter to God and I want you to give it to God! Jordon cant write yet, but he had some letters of the alphabet written out on a sheet of paper for God. He folded his letter up while we were still on the phone and put it into an envelope right away, his dad told me. No one is sure what he wants to say to God, but thats certain to be another story! ~ Ethel Crosby, Virginia

*When my son, Tim, was little, his grandpa scolded him for something. Later we found Tim kneeling by his bed, crying out in repentance, God, forgive me! God, forgive me! ~ Ethel Crosby, Virginia

*You know how young children always beg to say the blessing before a meal. When my granddaughter, Mia, was 3 years old she prayed:

Lord, I thank you for this food.

Ive already tasted it and its very good! ~ Ethel Crosby, Virginia

*Micah (almost 4) is my constant source of amusement. (He was the one who wanted to know if llamas had earwax.) He wanted to weigh himself at the grocery store the other day, and took off his shoes before he stepped on the scale. (Hes been watching me do this in a vain attempt to weigh as little as possible.) Micah, not quite getting this concept, held his little blue sandals in his hands when he got on the scale! Oh, he is 36 pounds of pure cute! (Well, maybe about 8 ounces of that was shoe!) ~ Reprinted with permission of Virginia Knowles from the Hope Chest Home School News. For a free subscription, send an e-mail message to [email protected] or visit http://www.hopechest.homestead.com/welcome.html

REDUCING THE CHANCE OF DIVORCE

Based on an informal survey of six hundred people who had maintained successful marriages, Dr. James Dobson arrived at "three tried and tested, back to basics recommendations" for reducing the chances of divorce and for maintaining marital stability:

* A Christ-centered home where the husband and wife are deeply committed to Jesus Christ;

* A committed love in which nothing short of death is permitted to come between the couple (in contrast to the idea that 'I'll stay with you as long as I feel love for you'); and

* A never-ending willingness to work at maintaining good communication. People are not looking for perfect marriages, but [for] marriages that keep working. But even these less-than-perfect marriages have evaded many in the baby-boom generation. Marital instability has been taken for granted in this low-commitment era, and divorce has come to be seen as a reasonable way to get out of an unhappy marriage. As a result, the United States has the highest divorce rate in the world.

James Dobson, "Love For a Lifetime: Building a Marriage That Will Go the Distance," Portland: Multnomah, 1987, pp.49-66, Submitted by Rowland Croucher of John Mark Ministries

COMMUNICATION IN MARRIAGE

While attending a marriage seminar on communication, David and his wife listened to the instructor declare, "It is essential that husbands and wives know the things that are important to each other."

He addressed the man, "Can you describe your wife's favorite flower?" David leaned over, touched his wife's arm gently and whispered, "Pillsbury All-Purpose, isn't it?"

A discontented husband went to a lawyer to obtain a divorce from his wife of many years.

The lawyer asked the man, Do you have any grounds? To which the husband replied, Just five acres.

Do you have a grudge? questioned the lawyer. The husband said, Yes, I have a garage out in back of the house.

The lawyer, a bit frustrated, then asked the man why he wanted a divorce. The husband said, Well, because we just cant communicate anymore!

A little girl and a little boy were at day care one day. The girl approaches the boy and says, "Hey Stevie, wanna play house?" He says, "Sure! What do you want me to do?" The girl replies, "I want you to communicate." He says to her, "that word is too big. I have no idea what it means." The little girl smirks and says, "Perfect. You can be the husband."

MARRIAGE QUOTE: Love is grand. Divorce is a hundred grand.

MARRIAGE AS ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN

Join one million Americans in the Petition of Support for the Federal Marriage Amendment. This will be sent to President Bush as well as your states House Representative and two Senators. Please join in this national effort to preserve marriage as one man and one woman by going to http://onemanonewoman.com

SIMPLE WAYS TO STUDY NATURE

Nature study is an excellent means of introducing your children to scientific ideas and relationships. Here are a few simple ideas to share:

1) Pressing and mounting flowers on cardboard. Write the flowers' names and where and when you found them. I recently saw a photo-album used to store pressed flowers. Having a field guide to identify flowers and flowering trees is very helpful.

2) A calendar devoted to nature observation could be kept with simple entries on when the leaves first fell or the fruit tree in your yard first ripened for the year.

3) Collect and observe leaves. Children should know the leaves of their neighborhood. For example they can begin to notice that some leaves are heart shaped, some are divided, and some fall off in the winter.

4) Observe flowers in your yard, local park, or even a city window box. With time, children will be able to distinguish between petal, sepal, and other flower parts.

5) Give children a pocket magnifying glass and possibly a microscope. We like using the magnifying glass better. Buy the best one you can afford and check it at the store -- they seem to vary in how they focus.

6) Teach children to notice winds and tell them the wind is named by what direction it comes from (for example, yourself being a Canadian because you were born in Canada -- you don't become French when you travel to France).

7) Have children walk a distance and then measure how far they've walked.

8) Children can try to feed and observe city birds such as sparrows and pigeons.

9) Place a caterpillar in a box with a netting over it and watch it spin.

10) Keep an ant farm. We had a good one this past winter.

11) Take children a pond, gather some frogs' eggs, and place the eggs in a large glass jar. After the tadpoles begin to form legs, take them back and release them at the pond.

12) Someone suggested to me that children keep silkworms, but I have no personal experience with that, although it sounds interesting.

The point is, even in the city, they should get their knowledge of nature first hand and get into the habit of being in touch with nature.

_____________________________________________________________________

--Catherine Levison has over a decade of homeschooling experience. She's the mother of five children, and also a grandmother. Catherine's the author of the popular book, A Charlotte Mason Education: A How-To Manual, the sequel More Charlotte Mason Education, and her newest book A Literary Education. Visit Catherine online & read more articles at: <ahref="http://christianity.com/cmason/">http://christianity.com/cmason/</a>

BARBEQUE CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

Contributed by Candy Frey and Julie Druck, both from Pennsylvania

Cook three chicken breasts by boiling them in a pot of water and allowing them to just set in that water for a few hours. It really makes them moist! Pull the meat apart into strips. Pour as much barbecue sauce as youd like over the cooked chicken pieces. Place four 10" flour tortillas on a flat cookie sheet. Spread the chicken over the tortillas. Sprinkle chopped onions and/or peppers (plus anything else you like!) over the chicken. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Cover with four more tortillas over top and spray lightly with Pam. Bake at 300 for 15 minutes or so to slightly crisp and brown the tortillas and melt the cheese.

LUNCH PACKING IDEAS

By Lois Breneman ~ "Heart to Heart" Newsletter ~ [email protected]

We all run out of fresh new ideas for lunches! Hopefully after reading this, you will be inspired to try a few new ideas. To keep food cold until lunchtime, use a small insulated bag or a frozen blue gel bag (inside a plastic bag) in a regular lunch bag. How about some fried chicken and potato, macaroni or bean salad, fresh vegetables (carrots, celery, red/yellow or green pepper strips, cucumber strips, cauliflower), a few olives, dill pickles, turkey ham & cheese crackers (separate crackers so they won't get soggy), granola, almost any type of finger foods? You can use small plastic baggies and eat right out of an individual serving baggie and just toss it in the garbage. No big clean up. If you have a wide mouth thermos, think about some hot soup (tomato, potato, chicken-corn or chicken-rice, etc.) with cheese and crackers or send hot meatballs in a thermos with a hot dog bun (in a baggie). Use you imagination for other food you can heat and put in the thermos.

If your children or husband like yogurt, that is a great, quick item to grab and put into lunches. Include a plastic spoon, if they cannot use one at work or school. If your husband has a microwave at work, give him a can of soup (I retrieve the Campbell's Soup labels first to give to our Christian school for free supplies, so my husband takes a blank can to work!). Many varieties of soup can be homemade in a large kettle, put into a microwavable container and stored in the freezer until needed for lunches, and microwaved at lunchtime.

One or more kinds of fruit - an apple, orange, grapefruit, pear, banana, grapes, peaches, plums, watermelon or cantaloupe (I peel the melons) are always in my husband's lunches. (Remember the 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day recommended to help prevent disease.)

For a stuffed apple or "walking apple," core the apple, plug up the bottom hole with a prune or dried apricot, fill with peanut butter, raisins, sunflower seeds, nuts, and plug up the top hole or dip in wheat germ or sunflower seeds. These can be made ahead for three days, wrapped in plastic and stored in the fridge until needed. Both kids and grown-ups love these! This also prevents kids from wasting the apple by leaving a lot of fruit around the core.

If the persons you pack lunches for do not mind taking Tupperware or Rubbermaid containers, the possibilities are unlimited! Pack a variety of foods in containers ahead of time and store in the fridge or freezer, depending what it is. This is a huge time saver and kids can help! Pack applesauce, canned fruit, deviled or hard cooked eggs, soup or casseroles to be heated in a microwave, salads of all types. If a salad dressing or dip is needed, use the Tupperware midget cups. They are perfect for raisins, nuts and seeds, as well, and it is worth having lots of them so you can get them filled and ready ahead of time. Snack zip lock bags also work, if your child doesn't like to bother with containers, and I think this is what most teenagers prefer. They like their lunch in a brown bag and no containers! Can you relate to that? Younger children like the nice insulated lunch bags, and husbands go with the flow, but teenagers got to have those plain brown bags! Peer pressure, I suppose. Fresh green salads can also be put into disposable bowls and covered with plastic or foil. Send dressing in foil or buy the individual packages.

Sandwiches can be frozen to save lots of time. Good freezer fillings include peanut butter, sliced meats and poultry, cheeses or tuna mixed with a dip. Spread a little salad dressing or margarine on the bread as a coating before freezing. The reason you've heard not to use mayonnaise is because it may break down a bit, but it is safe and I have often used it in frozen sandwiches. Sour cream with spices added for flavor or dips can be used in place of mayonnaise and they will not break down. When I used to have four lunches to pack each day, I would get all the sandwich supplies and make sandwiches assembly line style. My family had a lot of peanut butter, turkey-ham and cheese sandwiches on whole wheat bread through the years, as well as other varieties. Sandwiches will keep in the fridge for several days. They can also be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in a bread bag in the freezer and retrieved when needed. A sandwich that's removed from the freezer in the morning or even the night before will help keep the other food cold and will not spoil by lunchtime at room temperature. An insulated bag helps prevent spoilage even when there are no frozen items. Some lettuce can be stored in a baggie and packed with the sandwiches to be added at lunchtime.

For peanut butter sandwiches, a thin layer of peanut butter spread on each piece of bread and a layer of jelly on top of the peanut butter will prevent the bread not to get soggy from the jelly. I have been freezing peanut butter sandwiches for years for quick and easy retrieving when packing lunches. Try mixing raisins, grated carrots, coconut or chopped apples in the peanut butter for variety. Honey can also be mixed with it, but omit the jelly. Pack apple slices, dipped in orange or lemon juice to prevent browning, along with peanut butter as a dip or one of the peanut butter mixtures in a midget cup.

Salty foods in moderation add to variety in packed lunches. Salty snacks like sunflower seeds, soy nuts, sesame sticks or cheddar sticks at the health food store, peanuts, pretzels. almonds, cashews and cheese curls are some examples.

When it comes to desserts, remember they are not needed. We have gotten into a mind set, where we think we always have to include a dessert. Fruits are quite sweet and can be a healthy substitute. Try dried fruit too such as apple slices, apricots, raisins, pineapple, papaya. For the days when a dessert is added, you can offer a better dessert by baking it yourself and wrapping all at once. Having your children help will not only help you, but will teach them how to work. They will also see how much you care about giving them good lunches and that it doesn't just happen automatically. Make large cookies with a small ice cream scoop, apple-oatmeal bars, nutritious muffins, banana bread, etc. and try cutting down on the amount of sugar called for in the recipes. The more sugar one has, the more he wants. Sugar is addictive.

A very good friend of mine keeps lunch supplies on hand and always has her three children pack their lunches, as well as do their own laundry. It would work to have children take turns with lunches by the week, if they are old enough for the job. If they not capable yet, have them help you do it, and they will learn. Packing lunches the night before saves a lot of hassle in the morning!

If any of you would like to share new lunch packing ideas with the rest of us, we could all welcome your tips. This is a job that can get very monotonous, not only for the one packing the lunches, but for the ones eating them! Try packing for someone with a wheat allergy!

NOT HOME YET

Read 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

It is said that a missionary from a foreign field was sailing to the United States to retire. The ship also bore the President of the United States. While docking, a large cheering crowd had gathered to greet the President, while the missionary slipped off with no fanfare. In his heart, he began to wonder if his work had all been worth it. He had affected many lives but no one seemed to notice his homecoming. Soon his heart was pricked when God's Spirit gently reminded him, "But my child, you're not home yet!"

It's easy for us to get focused on this world around us and forget that it is not our home. Paul told the erring Corinthians, " We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Where's your focus today? If things are not going well around you, do you lose heart? When you do not get the acclaim you "deserve", are you ready to give up? Are you so attached to this world that you forget you are a citizen of the Kingdom of God?

Your focus, your perspective, your hope, is to be set on things not seen. Don't let this material world around you become more than it is. Instead, "set your minds on things above, not on earthly things your life is now hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:2-3)

The Circuit 'Riter, Michael Ullrich, http://www.In-His-Steps.com

Online book http://www.SharetheBook.com/

A KEEPER ~ Author Unknown, Contributed by Gladys Weddle of Virginia

I grew up in the fifties with practical parents -- a mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it. A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones. Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, dishtowel in the other.

It was the time for fixing things -- a curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep. It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy.

All that re-fixing, reheating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more. But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any 'more.'

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away, never to return. So while we have it, it's best we love it, care for it, fix it when it's broken and heal it when it's sick.

This is true for marriage, old cars and children with bad report cards. And dogs with bad hips, aging parents and grandparents.

We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away - or a classmate we grew up with.

There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special, and so, we keep them close!

PERSONAL NOTE

Ladies, you all are keepers too! So if you change your e-mail address, please let me know, so we dont lose contact. Thanks! I welcome hearing from you, especially if you have never e-mailed me a personal message. After all, you hear from me every week, and I'd love to hear from you! Tell me about you and your family, send kids' quotes or new family or homemaking contributions for Heart to Heart. God bless you all ~ from your Heart to Heart friend, Lois

"The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." Psalm 138:8
"Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
You have made my lot secure." Psm. 16:5

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