Everything You Need to Make Your House a Home.

I like to thumb through old magazines like "Martha Stewart Living" from time to time to get some fresh meal ideas and so on. That's what I was doing awhile back when I came across this ad...

     Oh great I thought... EVERYTHING I need to make my house a home, right there at Macy's.....how convenient! Problem is that in order to shop at Macy's, I'd probably 

have to get an outside job. And I'd surely need to leave my         children behind; can't imagine anything more stressful than spending a couple of hours at Macy's with 5 or 6 bored kids that aren't allowed to touch or ask for anything. 

  I hate this sort of advertising. What a message to send to would-be home makers:  "If you'll just run into Macy's and blow a bunch of money you'll have a gorgeous, happy home". Ha! Truth is:  if you stay home and clean what you already have, and take care of your children yourself, and conserve your hard earned money for more important things...you'll likely have a happy home!  I don't subscribe to or have these magazines lying around. If someone gives me one or I happen to pick one up on the free table at the library, I peruse it quickly, tear out any useful info and toss the rest right into the trash. I also find these useful for quickie social studies lessons with my children:) 


What we really need are advertisements like these:


"By wisdom a house is built and through understanding it is established;  through knowledge it's rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." Prov. 21:3,4


"She looks well to the ways of her household, and doesn't eat the bread of idleness." Prov. 31:27


"The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish tears it down with her own hands." Prov. 14:1


"Her children arise and call her blessed, her husband also and he praises her." Prov. 31:28


"...encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. (KJV says blaspheme)" Titus 2: 3,4,5


"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Tim. 6: 6-10


"And Jesus said unto them, Ye are they justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God." Luke 16:15

“I come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly."            

John 10:10

We have God's precious Word, my friends. It is full of promises and instructions like these. Let us ever be diligent that we, as Mothers endeavoring to raise children for Christ, in homes that glorify God, take His word to heart every day.

I'm quite certain that my children would be happier sipping lemonade or even ice water for that matter, out of old tupperware cups, on a worn out blanket in our yard with me than to give what it would take to enjoy the items offered in the ad above.

Money Making Minestrone!

Today Grace made five gallons of what we call Minestrone Soup. We didn't use a recipe but here's how we made it:

• In huge soup pot brown Italian sausage links (about 6 or 8) then remove and cut into little pieces.
• Then in the same pot saute' onions (2), celery( 1 bunch), carrots(8), cabbage(1), zucchini(5) and peppers(1) until soft.
• Now add one large can of tomato juice and some canned beans. (2- 16 oz cans your choice). We also threw in about 3 cups of frozen green beans. If I had had any spinach that would have gone in too.
• Fill the rest of the way with water. Add beef gelatin and spices like garlic, oregano, parsley, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper.
• Bring this to a boil and then simmer until done.
• About 5 to 10 minutes before lunch we added Orzo pasta (about 2 cups) which cooks up really fast.

We all love this soup! It is really good with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Today we had it with Cornmeal Scones, that Sarah made, and honey-butter but, it's good with any other bread or crackers too.

Cornmeal Scones:

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup cornmeal

2 1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

3 T. sugar

2 1/2 t. salt

3 1/2 T cold butter cut into small pieces

1/2 cup of milk

1 large egg

Heat oven to 375.

Combine dry ingredients in large bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until like coarse meal. Add milk and egg and stir slightly just until moist. Knead on lightly floured board 4 times. Cover a baking sheet with buttered parchment and pat dough into 7 inch circle on sheet. Cut into 8 wedges, cutting into bu not through dough.

Bake at 375 for 22 minutes or until golden brown. Yummy!

Now 5 gallons of soup is alot...even for my family. But, I love having soup ready to heat and serve especially during busy home school days. We may take a gallon to a neighbor who recently lost his wife. And it freezes well.

Have you seen the "home-made" soup for sale at Costco? Looks to be about half gallon for about 10 dollars! So, I always feel like we've something that's really worth alot when I think of that. We guest-imated the cost of our "Minestrone" at around 20 dollars for 5 gallons. Most of our ingredients were organic, by the way. That beats Costco's "home-made" (which I have never tried). And it for sure beats good canned soup which runs around $2.90 for a 12 oz can (which I have tried and it doesn't even come close)! So for $20 we made what could have cost 116 dollars!! Add to that the blessing of the wonderful aroma of soup simmering, the bread baking, making together at home and it's worth even more!

"Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred." Prov. 15:17