Last weekend we had some out-of-town guests stay with us during YC Homecoming.  This particular weekend is definitely one of my favorites of the entire year.  I love being able to have lots of people in our home, and being able to see people who come back to York for the weekend. 

This year, my brother and his family weren’t able to come….so we only hosted my Dad and his wife Tacy, and our good friends Greg and Lisa.

Here are a few picture highlights of our weekend:

Here’s a few of us sitting around eating soup and cornbread. 
I invited my uncle and cousin for dinner so that they would have a chance to visit with our guests.

We made the kids sit at the table to eat their soup so they wouldn’t spill it in the living room…
I suppose Matt and Greg felt like they’d better sit at the table too. 

It was Lisa’s birthday, so we made a chocolate pound cake.  Yum!

After dinner, we got out Family Fun Cranium and played together. 
You can tell the adults are a little bit too full of soup…

I LOVE this picture of my dad with Elias!!!  He sure loves his Papa.

Here are Justus and Tacy and I looking at pictures together.

Lisa and Tacy are playing Uno Attack with the boys after breakfast Friday morning.  Seems like we always pull out a bunch of games over Homecoming weekend.

Lisa always takes the boys to Wal-mart each year and spoils them by letting them each pick out a toy.  Notice how they each picked a new piece of weaponry.  Like we don’t have enough.  Oh, and Malachi also got a red cowboy hat.  You’ve gotta love a ninja cowboy.

Isn’t he just the sweetest cowboy you’ve ever seen?

Lisa took this picture of the boys out with their pumpkins

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was that my dad was honored by York College to receive the “Alumni of the Year Award”.  It was a well deserved honor.  BUT, I knew in advance that he was to receive the award (no one else except Matt knew)…and I had the wonderful job of making sure he was at the chapel service so that he could accept the award.  Shew.  That guy was a tough one to convince…and he knew I was up to something.  This isn’t a great picture…but here he is receiving the award from the President of the college.

I’m so grateful that our weekend with our family and friends was such a wonderful one!  Thanks for letting me share some of it with you!
——————————————————–
What are you grateful for this Gratituesday?  Write about it on your blog and come link up with us here!  Here are the details!
——————————————————–

1. Stacy@Delighting in the Days(The Internet!) 2. A Simple Walk 3. Sarah @ Everyday Elegance 4. Patti @ Moms Transformed

5. Marie 6. Andrea-MomFourBoys 7. Jen 8. Random Bits of Knowledge

9. Farrah 10. You're next!

According to this website that Lindsey told me about (I mentioned it last week and had quite a few questions and comments from you)…High Fructose Corn Syrup is good for us.   They say it’s just as natural as eating honey.  They say there are no harmful effects from consuming it. 

Who are “they“?  They are The Corn Refiners Association.  They’ve been hearing quite a bit of negative talk from consumers about HFCS…so they’ve begun taking action so that they don’t lose business.  There’s a lot of money in the HFCS realm.   And don’t get me started…but money motivation almost always over-rides truth in America.  No, seriously.  Don’t get me started. 

So, please..please will you go read this article by Dr. Mercola? 

Because I’m just a nice mama who enjoys learning and working toward healthy eating and suggests that HFCS isn’t good for you…but Dr. Mercola is…you know….a doctor…and he has actual facts and research to back up what he’s saying.  I really appreciated his article explaining more about what we should believe about HFCS. 

What all have you been hearing on this topic?  Have you seen the “Pro HFCS” commercial on TV?  (I haven’t yet…which is probably a good thing.  Yelling at a TV is usually unproductive.)  What’s your opinion on all of this?
——————————————————

Visit Tammy’s Recipes for more kitchen tips!

Now…we’re putting our house back together and working to get things back to normal.  (normal?)

Here’s our menu for the week…

Sunday, Oct. 12
Breakfast Cake (recipe coming this week!)
Beef stew
Leftovers

Monday, Oct. 13
Sourdough biscuits, peaches
Grilled cheese, tomato soup
Thanksgiving celebration with our Canadian friends!!  I can’t WAIT!!

Tuesday, Oct. 14
Scrambled eggs, oranges
Bean dip with tortilla chips, strawberry-peach slushies
BBQ beef, potato wedges, peas

Wednesday Oct. 15
Orange muffins, bananas
Tuna topped tomatoes, cottage cheese with peaches
Crunchy ranch chicken, stir fried rice and veggies

Thursday, Oct. 16
French toast
Alphabet soup (an experiment that hopefully I’ll have a good report on soon!),  homemade soft pretzels (because if the Alphabet Soup experiment doesn’t turn out to be a happy thing, at least we’ll have pretzels)
Beef enchiladas, taco salad

Friday, Oct. 17
Peanut butter honey toast, pears
Lentils and cornbread, fruit salad
Hamburgers on homemade buns and onion rings

Saturday, Oct. 18
Whole wheat cinnamon rolls
Homemade pizza
Potato soup, carrot sticks

Snacks I’ll make this week:
Mudballs
Whole wheat graham crackers
Trail mix

Are you working on your pie recipes for the ebook we’re putting together???!!!  Only a few more days left!  Read the details here!  Everyone join in!

You need to start getting excited, by the way!  My Website-Aversary is coming up in just a few weeks…and besides having that great new FREE pie ebook ready for you…we’re going to be having a week or two full of giveaways and free stuff and special sales!  It’s going to be SO MUCH FUN.  I can hardly sleep thinking about it!

But don’t you lose sleep over it too.  I mean, it’s exciting…really exciting.  But I’d hate for you to lie awake wondering and dreaming about all the fun that’s to be had at Heavenly Homemaker’s Website-Aversary.  Leave that part up to me.  Really.   We don’t all need to be so excited that we can’t sleep.  Some of us should really be getting sleep.  Really.

——————————————–
Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas!

While I’m busy having so much fun…I thought maybe you’d enjoy revisiting how I…

Burned down a barn

and

Yelled a really naughty word on a bus

Please do enjoy laughing at my expense all weekend long.

Hmm.  I bet now you think you have to hear about the time I shop-lifted. 

Here’s Lindsey:

When Laura started posting about eating healthy, natural foods, I was a little skeptical.  I thought that her lifestyle was something that would take a lot of time and money, and those are two things I do not have.  Because I know Laura to be an intelligent woman, and one that I want to mirror my own wife/mothering skills after, I thought I should open my heart to this topic.  As I continued to read her posts, I also set out to do some of my own research.  I began with reading about unnatural foods such as High Fructose Corn Syrup, Partially Hydrogenated Oils and artificial sweeteners.  Once I heard everything that went into processing those foods and the health problems they can lead to, I was pretty convinced we should try to make changes. 

Our changes have been slow for two reasons.  The first is that we want to make sure the changes we make turn into habits that will fit our lifestyle.  Second, we make small changes because some of them are costly and we need to find room in our tight budget. 

One of the easiest changes to make was switching from margarine to real butter.  I never had real butter growing up, so I never knew the difference.  Now I know, it is so good!  And, when used in moderation, is a great addition to the fats needed in a healthy diet. 

We have also stopped buying prepackaged foods that have HFCS and Partially Hydrogenated Oils.  These are in pretty much everything.  Some things I buy still have those ingredients, but I will only continue to buy them until I find an alternative. 

Recently, we stopped buying bread from the store.  The ones I found either had whole wheat and HFCS or were not whole wheat, even though it was labeled as whole wheat bread.  So, I made my own, with Laura’s recipe.  I thought I would give it a try, and if it didn’t work out or if it was too time consuming, I would have to try another replacement.  It was not time consuming at all, and I really loved the process.  My two year old even helped me, and it was a great bonding experience for us.  I also switched from buying enriched pastas to whole wheat pastas.  This was another easy change to make, because it doesn’t cost much more and it actually has way better flavor. 

We also switched from buying white flour to whole wheat.  It is not much more expensive, and because I am saving money with not buying prepackaged snacks, I have that money to spend so I can make healthy snacks for our family.  My two year old also helped me make Laura’s pretzels and they are incredible!  They also lasted longer for my small family than a box of unhealthy food would. 

Something that we have always done is buy a lot of fresh fruit.  Over the summer, I had a garden where I grew a lot of it, so we didn’t spend much money on that.  Now that gardening season is about over, we are buying more fruit, but it is so good, and I really feel good when my husband and kids ask for more grapes/apples/pears etc.  We have found so many healthy snacks that are good for us and taste good too. 

I really thought at first that this is something I would fail at because of the money issue, as well as my husband’s picky eating.  His favorite foods are cheeseburgers and pizza.  Not only have I found healthier ways to serve those foods, I am so surprised at the new foods he is trying, and how much he likes them.  There are still many changes I am excited to make because I know I am taking better care of myself and my family. 
——————————————————

 Thank you so much Lindsey for opening yourself up to share with us.  You are such an encouragement to me and to others.

One of my favorite things about what Lindsey is doing:  She’s not just reading my posts about healthy eating, believing what I say and that’s it.  She’s been doing a lot of research on her own to validate the fact that HFCS and hydrogenated oils and such are not good for you.  (In the meantime, she found a website telling how great HFCS is supposed to be for your health.  Guess who funded THAT website?  Grr)

I’m curious what others of you out there have discovered about making changes.  Has it been difficult?  Is it costing you much more to eat this way?  Are you discovering some new favorite foods that are both healthy and delicious?   

Anyway, in the meantime, I wanted to tell you what works for our family Bible time. 

First, may I hop on my soap-box for a moment?  (thank you) 

The responsibility of teaching the Bible to YOUR children does not belong to anyone but YOU.  It is not up to their Bible class teachers or the ministers at your church or anyone else.  The Bible tells PARENTS to train up their children in the way they should go.  I think Bible classes are wonderful and I LOVE what my kids learn at church from their teachers.  BUT…if we let their Godly training END with Sunday morning and/or Wednesday night Bible classes…we’d be neglecting our duties as parents.  It’s our job.  Godly character training doesn’t begin and end at the church door. 

Okay, now that you know how I feel about that…I’ll sum up what works best for our family Bible training time in two words:

Meal.Time.

It’s a time we’re all sitting down together (ooh, another soap box)…and if the kids have food in their mouths, they are less likely to be talking (hopefully)…so they are able to focus their attention on you and listen.

For years we’ve had “Bible at Breakfast” time.  It’s been a great way to start our day.  We’ve done a variety of things from reading chapters from the Bible to reading through Egermeir’s Story Bible to reading short devotionals from books. 

Then, at lunch and dinner time, we do memory work.  Usually, Daddy leads this and asks the boys to repeat after him as he works to teach them new verses.   We’ve learned lots and lots of new verses this way…and it’s amazing what the littlest guys can learn just by repeating the verses over and over.  Often now, Malachi (age 3) stands up in his chair with his hands on his hips (this is not the exact way Daddy does it, by the way) and says, “‘Peat after me!”  and then he launches into the verse he’d like us to repeat. 

This has made our meal times even more memorable and filled with purpose.  Hmm, you’ve gotta love that kind of nourishment!
——————————————-

Visit Rocks in my Dryer for more Works for me Wednesday posts!

Last Friday we took a field trip to a great pumpkin patch.  It was a perfect sunny day and we stayed for hours.  Here are a few pictures of our trip:

The whole group of kids who met at the pumpkin patch that day…an amazing feat to get them all together in one place at one time.

Asa chose a HUGE pumpkin

And Justus was not to be outdone

Elias was a bit more practical

Malachi’s pumpkin was just downright cute

They boys went down this slide something like 30,000 times

Malachi and Elias on the train (oh what fun it would have been to watch me run behind the train to get this picture)

Asa on the zip line

Justus on the zip line

Elias on the zip line

Malachi on the zip line

I’m not sure how they talked me into it…but somehow they did…

Mama on the zip line

I have to admit…the zip line was really fun.  And I went back and did it three times.  Because it was that fun.  I’m happy to report that I wasn’t even sore the next day! 

Have you had a chance to visit a pumpkin patch yet this year?  Oh you really should!  (And if they have a zip line…try it!!) 

I’m so grateful for the fun memories I made with my kids at the pumpkin patch!  What are you grateful for?  Read the Gratituesday details here, then come link up with us!
———————————————-

1. Amy @ Finer Things (Finances Schminances) 2. Sarah 3. The Pacheco 4 4. Donna 5. Moms Transformed 6. Christy @ Mercy Every Morning 7. Shalee

8. Jen 9. Ramblings Of Casey 10. Random Bits of Knowledge 11. Hannah (His Hands) 12. Living On Love (Peace) 13. Andrea- Mom Four Boys 14. Melanie

15. Broad Horizons 16. Marnie (God's Word) 17. Steph @ Problem Solvin Mom 18. Amy @ GrowingLikeTrees (Pastors) 19. You're next!

So, every year for York College Homecoming weekend, my house fills up with bunches of family members and friends.  And I LOVE it. 

But here’s the thing.  If I’m not organized and on the ball with all the meals I’ll be feeding my guests…I DON’T love it and it’s not fun and I feel stressed the entire weekend and I don’t get to enjoy any of my friends or family members who have come. 

I want to be able to visit and relax. But I also really, really love to be a hostess and make my guests yummy food and make them feel welcome and loved. 

(Oh, and while I’m usually very good at multitasking…cooking and talking at the same time is not something I do very well.  Which means that I can’t very easily prepare food and talk with my guests at the same time.  I’m weird like that.)

So, I make as much food ahead of time as I possibly can. 

Check out our menu here.  Of all the foods listed from Thursday night on…here are the items I’m preparing ahead of time:

Potato soup
Chicken noodle soup
Lasagna
Salad
Homemade bread
baked potatoes (for the sausage, potato and egg scramble)
Sloppy joe meat
Veggie tray
Applesauce bread
Cookies

Most of this can be made any time and put into the freezer or into the fridge.  Oh, this makes hostessing so much easier.  When it’s time to prepare a meal, all I have to do is re-heat my food or stick it into the oven. 

And since I don’t have to think very hard to do that part of the meal prep…I can usually hold down my end of the conversations pretty well!

So there’s my little tip on saving sanity when hosting a houseful of guests.  Now I guess you know what I’ll be up to all this week!  But just don’t talk to me while I’m trying to cook all this food…I’ll get distracted and put too much baking powder into the lasagna. 

Oh right, the lasagna doesn’t call for baking powder….

———————————————————-

Visit Tammy’s Recipes for more kitchen tips!

Here’s what’s on the menu this week:

Sunday, October 5
Breakfast burritoes
Hamburgers, fruit
Leftovers

Monday, October 6
Honey wheat muffins, bananas
Homemade pizza, pears
Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas

Tuesday, October 7
Fried eggs on toast, oranges
Baked potatoes, cottage cheese with peaches
Beef stroganoff, green beans

Wednesday, October 8
Peanut butter honey toast, apples
Grilled cheese, tomato soup
Shepherd’s pie

Thursday, October 9
Granola, kefir-fruit smoothies
Chicken tostadas, strawberry-peach slushies
Cheesy potato soup, chicken noodle soup, veggie tray, cornbread

Friday, October 10
Whole wheat pancakes, eggs and bacon, fruit
Sandwiches, chips, fruit, carrot sticks, cookies
Lasagna, tossed salad, green beans, homemade bread

Saturday, October 11
Egg, sausage and potato scramble, fruit
Sloppy joes, baked beans, veggie tray
Nacho Bar

Have you read about my Great Pie Quest and Contest?  Join in the fun!!  Bring on the PIE!!!
———————————————

Visit Organizing Junkie for many more menu plan ideas!

With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up soon, we’re all gonna need to eat pie.  Need to I say. 

As I was trying to make a couple of apple pies recently, I finally admitted something to myself:

I am Pie Crust Challenged.  I have not been blessed with the gift of pie crust making.  I fail as a pie crust maker.  Pie crusts are not my friend.

And besides that, I don’t have very many recipes for pies. 

But I figured that somewhere out there someone has been blessed with The Gift of  Amazing Pie Crust Making.

And I just bet that each of you have a favorite pie recipe or two. 

So here’s what you’re all going to do:

You’re all going to get busy making pies.  And taking pictures of your pretty pies.  And then you’re going to send me your recipes and your pretty pie pictures. 

Then, I’ll work to put all of your recipes and pretty pie pictures into an ebook which will be FREE for everyone to download and enjoy!

AND, while the recipes are coming in…I’ll try making as many as I can and have a big pie party with my friends and we’ll choose a Oh My Word This Is the Best Pie I’ve Ever Eaten Pie.  If YOU are the one who has sent in the recipe for the OMWTITBPIEEPie (see previous sentence), you’ll win any three packs of downloadable recipe cards from the Heavenly Homemakers Shop.  These recipe card packs are loaded with great recipes AND are super cute.  (Char designed ‘em.)  And they are a perfect idea for a great inexpensive gift for many, many of the people on your list.  (Print them, package them, perfect gift.)

And, if you can send me a recipe for an awesome pie crust that uses real butter and whole wheat flour…I will get on an airplane and come to where you live and kiss your shoes.  The ones on your feet. 

Okay, not really.  But I would SO send a cyber kiss to your cyber shoes.  I’ve received emails from several of you who would love a whole wheat pie crust recipe, so others would like to kiss your shoes too.

I’ll settle for a pie crust using butter and unbleached white flour.  And some tips for making them pretty. 

Great Pie Quest Contest Recap and Rules:

1.  Send me your pie recipes.
2.  Send a picture of your pie if you can.
3.  If you are an awesome pie crust maker, share the love.
4.  Your pie recipe will be a part of a contest to see which pie is the OMWTITBPIEEPie.
5.  If your pie is the OMWTITBPIEEPie, you’ll win three downloadable recipe card packs of your choice.
6.  ALL of the awesome pie recipes you send will become an ebook that will be free for you and for everyone so that we will never want for great pie recipes again.  (I’ll credit you for your pie recipe in the ebook, by the way.)
7  Please send recipes that do not use ingredients like shortening, margarine, corn syrup or any other no-no ingredient.  If it calls for “regular” sugar, that’s fine…but if you have great pie recipes using rapadura or another ”natural” sugar, rock on.  (I am so not cool enough to say “rock on”.)
8.  Send me as many recipes as you would like, but be sure they are tried and true and your favorites.
9.  Cheesecake counts.  Oh, it counts.
10.  Send me your recipes and pictures by Saturday, October 18.  I will then work to put them into an ebook by the first week of November.

Because GUESS WHAT?  The first week of November marks my One Year Website-Aversary!!!  And all that week we’ll be celebrating with free stuff and sales and giveaways and all kinds of fun.  So, start looking forward to that…and get busy making pies and sending me recipes!!

Ooh, what should we call our ebook????