.Secrets from my Kitchen.

Here are some of my kitchen secrets for you to use and pass on to your little homemakers. Some of these I learned from my mom or other women, and some I learned on my own. I hope you find these useful and practical!

Do you want your biscuits to bake up with flaky, buttery layers? The key is to make sure your butter is kept really chunky when gently stirring your batter. No pea-sized pieces here – chunks!

Are you all out of eggs but have a recipe calling for one?


I am giving away my kitchen secrets at Raising Homemakers today! Come join me and share your own!


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.Momentous Monday.

Momentous Monday is a chance for us to reflect back on the last week and take notice of the momentous moments that are all around us. Want to know more? Click here.

This was indeed a momentous week.

Details to come. Soon.

What I can share is some sweet momentous moments with my husband from this weekend. We dropped the children off at Jim's parents' on Friday evening. Then we meandered through a Christian bookstore, and soon found ourselves sharing a Starbucks iced drink at Barnes and Noble. We didn't stay long, as we had an hour drive back home. But we stayed long enough to peruse some shelves and enjoy leafing through a few books.

The moments that I am savoring the most is the moments of conversation. Deep, uninterrupted conversation. Those that know me well know that I am not a woman of many spoken words. I just struggle making my thoughts clear verbally. But it's not that way when I am with Jim. It seems as if it has been awhile since we have been able to engage in such meaningful, intimate conversation, and I just soaked it in.

Then there were the other moments....

praying together

reading aloud in bed together

laughing and being silly

delighting over the mouth-watering bites of buttery pancakes smothered in Marion blackberries

checking out and reading every single different bag of Starbucks coffee and deciding on two bags of beans we had not tried before from Africa

getting free Starbucks coffee with our empty Starbucks bags

walking up and down aisles at Sam's Club - taking our time, holding hands, having fun

dreaming about our future and praying about it and talking about it

but enjoying living in the moment.

We were supposed to pick up the children at 6:00 Saturday evening and stay for dinner with Jim's parents. We showed up at 2:30. {grin} We loved our alone time, but missed our children. I have not left Scotty very much. I am very attached to that sweet boy of mine.


Don't miss a moment! Click here!

.Blessing my Husband.

I write so much about my children here. A big part of this blog is cherishing the moments of their childhood and documenting my feelings, my hopes, my dreams, and at times my struggles regarding raising my two darlings. I certainly want to preserve these precious years. But today I write about being a wife. As passionate as I am about being a godly mommy, I am probably even more passionate about being a godly wife. One thing I know for sure is that without being a godly wife, I can never be a godly mommy. I think one of the best gifts I can give my children is the love I have for their daddy.

I love blessing my husband. I love thinking of creative ways to bless him. However, I think it is the everyday, ordinary blessings that really make the difference.



Laying out and ironing his clothes for work each morning.



Making our home a safe, soft, warm landing at the end of the day.



Cooking a meal that he loves.

Folding his laundry.

Making sure he has a fresh towel waiting at the end of his shower.

Purchasing only Heinz ketchup (as opposed to Hunts or a generic).

Getting excited about a NY Giant's game.

Sticking little notes in his lunch.

Changing the bed sheets often because he likes falling asleep in clean sheets.

Prioritizing my time with him.

Being attentive to his needs, his wants, his hopes, his dreams.

Cheering for him, and making sure that I am the loudest cheerleader.

Teaching my children to bless him.



Simple blessings that hopefully express my love to him. Every husband is different. Not every husband will want to blessed the same way as mine. It has been so important for me to learn what it is that blesses my husband. I have learned that the blessing is more beautiful when it is given with a pure heart and right motives.

Not everyday would I choose to bless my husband by squeezing lemons for a pie that is a least favorite of mine, but today I did and I was happy to. I want to always bless my husband and never curse him. I pray for this daily.



How do you bless your husband?