Around Our House...

...Are the events of ordinary life. Laundry. Cleaning. Schoolwork. Never enough hours in a day to get it all done. 

But we are also smelling the fragrance of Christmas cookies.

And tasting them too.

We are folding soft itsy-bitsy baby clothing.

And anticipating using them in a few weeks.

We are singing our favorite Christmas carols. This week we sang at the rescue mission, a nursing home, and to some elderly neighbors.

We are remembering Jesus, and all He has done for us. Not just coming to earth as a baby, but going to the cross, and now interceding for us to the Father.

It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Romans 8:34

From our family to yours...wishing you a Christ-centered, joy-filled Christmas.

I'll be taking a blogging break the next few weeks. I'll be back in January.

Three-Cheese Pasta with Sausage and Spinach

I love simple one-pot meals. I usually check out the "one-pan dinner" page of my mother-in-law's Cook's Country magazine for some ideas. This recipe came from a recent issue and my family called it a winner. I further simplified the recipe by using my home-canned pizza sauce for the sauce.

You can let out the spinach if you wish, but even my children didn't complain about the green stuff in this recipe.

Three-Cheese Pasta with Sausage and Spinach
(adapted from Cook's Country)

1-2 lb sausage links, cut in 1 inch pieces
2 pint pizza sauce
2 cups water
16 oz rotini or ziti pasta
5 cups chopped spinach
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese

In a large dutch oven or other oven-proof pot, cook sausage until browned.

Add pizza sauce, water, and pasta. Bring to boil on high heat. Then reduce heat and simmer until pasta is just barely softened.

Remove pot from heat and stir in spinach, 3/4 cup mozzarella, and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Spoon ricotta on top of pasta and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.

Place in oven under broiler until cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, approximately 4-6 minutes.

Cool for 10 minutes and serve.

Six Homemade Spice Mixes

I buy spices in bulk and enjoy making my own spice mixes. There are many recipes online, but these six are my present favorite.

In the summer, I keep some of these mixes, especially ones like Ranch dressing powder, in the freezer to keep them from absorbing moisture in my humid kitchen.

I like to write the directions on a label on the jar to make it easy to whip up a dressing or dip.

Seasoning Salt

I keep this by my stove and sprinkle it on about anything I am adding salt to -as long as it isn't dessert.

1/2 cup salt
2 T paprika
1 T parsley
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp celery seed
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin

Mix all together. If you wish, you can blend it in a coffee grinder to make a fine powder.


Taco Seasoning

I like to have plenty of this seasoning on hand in the summer to quickly season ground beef or chicken for taco salad or burritos. This is also perfect for taco soup.

4 T onion powder
2 T salt
2 T chili powder
1 T garlic powder
1 T cumin
1 1/2 T oregano
1 tsp red pepper (optional)

Mix well. Two tablespoons equal 1 purchased package.



Ranch Dressing Mix

2 T onion flakes
2 tsp onion powder
2 T parsley
2 tsp paprika
1 T salt
2 tsp pepper
1 T garlic powder
Options: dill weed, tarragon, oregano, or celery seed

Mix all together. Two tablespoons equal 1 purchased package.

For dressing: Mix 2 T dry powder, 1 cup mayo, and 1 cup of buttermilk or kefir.
For vegetable dip: Mix 2 T mix and 2 cups sour cream.


Italian Dressing Mix

This is my newest mix, but I think it will be a favorite.

1/2 T garlic powder
1 T onion powder
2 T oregano
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
1 T parsley
2 T salt

Stir together. Two tablespoons equal 1 purchased package.

To make into Italian dressing: Mix 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 2/3 cup olive oil, 2 T water, 2 T dry mix. Blend well. Serve.

My mom mixes chicken breast chunks, cream soup, cream cheese, and Italian dressing mix in her crockpot. The result is a wonderful rich chicken dish that we love served over mashed potatoes.


Onion Soup Mix

2/3 cup dried, minced onion
3 tsp parsley
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Mix well. I shake well before each use. Four tablespoons equal 1 packet of purchased onion soup mix.

I like to combine brown rice, water, onion soup mix, and raw chicken in a baking pan or crockpot for a yummy but simple meal.


Everything Season (Mural of Seasoning copy-cat)

1 1/2 T onion powder
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp basil
1 tsp dried chives
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried lemon peel
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried dill weed

Mural of Seasoning is a spice from Penzey's that I love on just about everything - roasted potatoes, vegetables, meat, etc. My homemade version is not nearly like the real thing, I'm sure. But I like it just the same.

Mailing Week - A Christmas Countdown

Today is a drizzly dreary day, perfect for holing up in the house and working on some Christmas projects. I've been at the sewing machine most of the afternoon and think I can finish up two sewing projects today. Such fun to strike projects off the list.

This is why I like to start Christmas preparations early. I enjoy these projects so much more when I have no time pressure.

This is mailing week. But I'm skipping sending Christmas mail this year. I'd rather wait and send out a baby birth announcement in January.

I know that with social media, sending a yearly Christmas update is fast becoming obsolete. I'm one of those strange folks that actually enjoy writing a family Christmas newsletter. It is fun to look back over the year and compile a review. Especially when Ed gives me a crazy idea like last year's Christmas card/letter. I'm still hearing from some who say that their children ask them to reread that Christmas card often - a compliment I never received before and proof that it wasn't your typical card. But the downside is that now I feel pressure to beat last year's creativity.

And I don't like pressure. So a note to all my real-life, snail-mail friends - expect my next Christmas letter to be the most boring you've read. Ever.

But even though I'm not doing Christmas letters this year, I hope some of my friends are. I love getting the mail in December. It is such a treat to find something beyond bills and advertisements in the mailbox. Whether it is a friend I only hear from once a year or see every week at church, I love the smiling family photos and letters (and no, none of them are the least bit boring.)

And this ends the Christmas Countdown. For the month of December you are on your own to complete your projects and enjoy special time with your family and friends.

Prepare - Mailing Week - Inspiration for the final week of the Christmas Countdown

So what about you?  What project is on the top of your list this week? And how are you relieving some of the pressure on yourself this month?

Escape from the Prison of Ungratefulness

Written at Thanksgiving several years ago.

I once said that mothers couldn't get sick. I was blessed with good health and couldn't remember when I was sick for longer than a day. But a bad cold hit me the week before Thanksgiving. And it refused to leave.

Don't pity me. I wasn't deathly ill, just miserable. I continued to care for my children - as much as I could from the couch. Casseroles from the freezer supplied our meals. Cleaning was non-existent. After I lost my voice, homeschooling entered survival mode.

My husband added household tasks on top of all his normal responsibilities. I was grateful for his help but typically I measure the success of my day by what I accomplish. Holding down the couch didn't qualify. I coughed like a chain smoker and could not sleep, but worse, I now felt like a total failure as a wife, homemaker, and mother.

God was working on me. 

He wanted me to discover joy in Him, not in my accomplishments. He longed for me to be thankful for the circumstances He placed me in and to find fulfillment in serving Him with my whole being – coughs and all.

The calendar reminded me that I had promised to visit an inmate. She had attended the Bible study at our local detention center and now had moved to a long-term prison facility in the city. I managed to feel good enough to keep the appointment. 

It was a scary, new experience to visit a large city prison. The high walls ribbed with rolls of barb wire silhouetted in the November darkness echoed the hard, cold eyes of inmates held  in sin's night.

Next time my gratefulness needs a boost, I'll remember to visit a prisoner. 

Or the homeless. 

Or the sick. 

Spending time with those who have far greater problems than mine drove me to sheepishly return to my Father and say "Thank you for my problems – my cough, my hyper children, my dirty house.”

God doesn't reserve His lessons on gratefulness to one day of the year at Thanksgiving. This year, a visit behind prison walls demonstrated the prison of ungratefulness where I resided. Thankfully, His Word holds the key to unlock the gate.

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts...and be ye thankful. (Colossians 3:15) 

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (Colossians 3:17) 

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Freedom is found when my joy is based – not on my circumstances, but on the One who rules my heart. 

Faces Of Syria - New Book!

We all have heard the stories and seen the photos of the Syrian refugees.

And if you are like me, you don't know what to think or what to do. I feel helpless faced with a problem of such magnitude. A problem with no easy answers.

That is why I was eager to read Faces of Syria, a new book just published by TGS International (a subsidiary of Christian Aid Ministries (CAM).

Katrina Hoover traveled to Jordan and Lebanon a couple months ago to listen and record Syrian refugees' stories. I enjoyed following along in her journey through Katrina's blog.

Katrina was joined by Rosetta Byers as photographer. Together the two made a photo book to share a perspective of the Syrian refugees that most of us will never have since we can not meet them personally.

Faces of Syria is a lovely book with full page photos on every spread. The book is brief yet poignant, sharing in a few of their own words the heartbreak and suffering these lovely people have experienced.

I want to share the needs of the world with my children in a safe way. I want them to know that not everyone has as comfortable life as they do. Since we don't have television, my children know very little about the world news. But we've been praying for the refugees and this book was a perfect way for them to get a glimpse into this crisis. With the many photos of children, it appealed instantly with my children and we were able to read about their lives in Syria and why they had to flee their homes.

The goal of Faces of Syria is to prompt us to pray for the people of Syria. To look at these photos and into the eyes of these precious children makes my heart long to bring hope to their hearts. And I know that prayer can reach through miles and borders and bring that hope.

As we near Thanksgiving and enjoy the many blessings we have been given, take time to remember those who have long for the lost days of peaceful homes and warm family times.

You may purchase Faces of Syria from TGS (which will help to support the work with needy around the world).

I was given a review copy of Faces of Syria but all opinions in this review are my own.

Baking Week - A Christmas Countdown

A new week and a new goal - this time baking.

For some of you, this week will be busy with Thanksgiving plans.

I'm not sure what the week will hold for our family. More than likely we won't do anything extra-ordinary, but Ed has a few days off work so just spending time together is always enjoyable.

The children are already talking about baking Christmas cookies, so I'm hoping to spend at least one evening this week with the sprinkles and cookie cutters. Likely the bulk of the baking won't be done until next week. I do like to have most cookie baking done at the beginning of December so that we can pull out Christmas cookies to take to various events throughout the month.

I'd love to hear about your family's baking traditions. What recipe do you look forward to making (or eating) every year?

Prepare - Baking Week - Thoughts on baking and the joy of the Lord