Description
Country Girl married to an awesome Country Boy!
We are raising our 4 children to love and serve our Lord Jesus!
I am striving every day to live a simple life, a life of joy!
I am now the owner of my own website business. My passion is to bring families together at the supper table! www.simplefamilysupper.com
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My Links
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Blog has moved......
Well, it is official.... I have moved my blog.
I just needed an easier system and want to post pictures with out so many challenges!
I will still be by to read blogs... I love the atmosphere here and won't leave!
Heather
www.choosingsimplicity.blogspot.com
*********************************************************To end the daily "What's for supper?" question and stress please visit my website: http://www.simplefamilysupper.com |
Posted: 09:58, Monday, April 21, 2008 |
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He is how old??!!??!!
 HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Here are my two March birthday boys!
Ethan turned 5 on March 8th.
Chris turns 35 today!!! THIRTY FIVE!!!! Remember when that sounded OLD??
I met him when he was 19.... I have been blessed to be with him this long!
We celebrated his birthday last night with one of his favorite meals: hamburgers and oven baked tater tots.
Come try some of our other favorite meals.... check out the sample menu at www.simplefamilysupper.com
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Posted: 10:37, Tuesday, March 18, 2008 in general life |
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Tipster Tuesday! Efficient cooking!
Efficient Cooking!
Tipster Tuesday as hosted by BeCentsable:
I believe in "Efficient Cooking" (as I call it on my Simple Family Supper website). Efficient cooking saves me a ton of time and $$. I brown LARGE quantities of ground meat (usually venison in our family since my hubby is a deer hunter) and then freeze it in meal size quantities. It makes for FAST track cooking to make any meal that calls for browned ground meat!!!
- Brown the meat in a large pan
- Drain it (I put it in a large strainer) and allow it to cool.
- Package it in high quality freezer bags, label and freeze!
- When ready to use, just quickly defrost in microwave
It is 5 o'clock.... What is for supper???
To end this daily stress join me at www.simplefamilysupper.com |
Posted: 07:24, Tuesday, March 11, 2008 in cooking-baking |
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Pursuing God
 10 minute Tuesday as hosted by faithfulchick:
I participate in a weekly "mom's group" Bible study. We are transitioning to a new study next week, but God laid this on my heart for us to do this week. God really touched my heart on Sunday with a message on Pursuing God Encounters..... God wants encounters with us!!!! I am focusing on pursuing God this week! Take 10 minutes to Pursue God!
Pursuing God
Pursue (to put forth an effort, to focus, to spend time and energy, to be determinied,) encounters with our God Almighty. He desires to have 2 way communication with us. He longs to spend time with us!
Getting Real:
Pursuing God comes at a cost. We all only have 24 hours a day and our days are full. What are you willing to give up to Pursue God? What are the other things in my life that I pursue? Where does God fall on the scale of my focus?
Bring it to reality:
On a scale of 1-10 (1 being extremely little, 10 being very much) how much time (of the 24 hours given to us) do you spend pursuing the following: (this is not to say that the activities listed below are bad…. Most of them must be done) Just be honest about the time you spend on these activities: Rate on the scale of 1-10
Sleeping ________
Eating ________
Outward Beauty ________
Chores/housework ________
Laundry ________
Cooking/baking ________
Work ________
Time with husband ________
Romance ________
Taking care of kids ________
Fun time with kids ________
Organization ________
Shopping/acquiring ________
Money ________
Paying Bills ________
Friendships ________
Hobbies ________
Seeking attention ________
Reading ________
TV ________
Computer ________
Planning ________
Church ________
Volunteering ________
Extended Family ________
Phone ________
Running errands ________
Children’s Activities _______
Negative thinking _______
Worry _______
Praise and worship _______
Prayer _______
Listening to God _______
Time in the Word _______
Journaling _______
Bible Studies _______
Outreach to others _______
Hospitality _______
Other:_______ _______
Other:_______ _______
Other:_______ _______
Other:_______ _______
Other:_______ _______
Now it is more clear what things I spend my greatest time and energy pursuing. Am I giving God any reason to be “Jealous”? Where is my focus? What do I spend a lot of time pursuing:
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________
How Can I make pursuing encounters with God a reality? What is the plan? What will I need to reduce my time on in order to have more time to pursue God? ____________________________
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Follow up: Encounters with God
This week I changed some of my “pursuing” habits in the following ways: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Encounters with God: Share anything you feel comfortable sharing about your time spent pursuing God. What did you learn? What did you hear? What did you experience? How did you grow?
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How did the “cost” of giving up time in other areas affect you? Are there some things that you found you need to spend more time on? How about balance? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What does pursuing God mean to you now? How does this impact daily life? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It is 5 o'clock.... What is for supper???
To end this daily stress join me at www.simplefamilysupper.com |
Posted: 07:23, Tuesday, March 11, 2008 in NONE of me, ALL of you |
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Time Flies!
Happy 5th Birthday, Ethan!!!!
Time flies when you are having fun!! Ethan is 5 years old today!!!
We celebrated by meeting my sister and her family at McDonalds Playland for fun and food. (this is a RARE treat, so it was a BIG deal!)
Here is my little man.... my "helper boy" "Worker boy" as he calls himself.
Here is Ethan at 6 months and then now:
  He is my SMILING kid!!! He melts my heart with his "Mommy, I love you! Mommy, I love you FOREVER!"
It is 5 o'clock.... What is for supper???
To end this daily stress join me at www.simplefamilysupper.com |
Posted: 10:29, Saturday, March 8, 2008 in adventures with children |
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Things that make you go Hmmmm.......
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I was on the radio!
I listen to Midday connection (moody) regularly. Today they were talking about being in God's presence out in nature! This is sooooo me!!! I made it on as their last "commenting caller"! If you want to here this fantastic program and catch me as the last caller click here.
Heather
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To end the daily "What's for supper?" question and stress please visit my website: http://www.simplefamilysupper.com |
Posted: 10:10, Tuesday, March 4, 2008 in hunting and fishing |
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Simply Interesting!
Yesterday I had the AMAZING opportunity to go to the library WITHOUT any children. Now don't get me wrong, I take my kiddos to the library nearly every week, but to have the opportunity to browse the shelves and linger over interesting books was a BLESSING!!! I ended up with a basket full of books and DVDs, something for everyone. One of my finds was this book: A Slice Of Organic Life by Goldsmith.
- Has wonderful ideas for everyone... town folk and country folk
- Tips on everything from gardening, to diapers, cooking to traveling.
- Explore little things you can do to make a BIG difference.
- Chock full of old-fashioned living presented with modern flare.
- Info on raising animals to foraging for mushrooms, making flavored oils and vinegars to controlling household pests.
- Container Garden!!!
I think this book isworth seeking out if you want to make some "simple life" choices. I was encouraged to see how many things I was already doing and inspired to try some more!
Have a great weekend!
Heather
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To end the daily "What's for supper?" question and stress please visit my website: http://www.simplefamilysupper.com |
Posted: 09:57, Saturday, March 1, 2008 in simple living |
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Simply Chickens!
 I raise Chickens... the feathered kind, not the other kind.... I like to think I am teaching my children to be of strong courage! LOL!
My chickens:
*are a great source of entertainment! They are FUNNY creatures!
*lay WONDERFUL eggs (well not now, they are on winter "break", but will start again soon)
*give me a reason to go outside! (I am always looking for a reason to be OUTSIDE!)
*my kids know where to find me if I am MIA..... mom is getting a sanity break out with the chickens!
*I sell my extra eggs... really helps pay for the feed
*helps me feel connected to my ancestors... I love history, live in a 1911 home and my Great, great grandparents were homesteaders.... kind of gives me a real life trip into history!
*We EAT Breakfast for supper every week!
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To end the daily "What's for supper?" question and stress please visit my website: http://www.simplefamilysupper.com |
Posted: 07:44, Thursday, February 28, 2008 in homestead animals |
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10 minute Tuesday
 10 Minute Tuesday: (hosted by faithful chick)
I have to be honest with my blog friends..... My quest for simplicity sometimes comes in conflict with some of my real life daily choices. I really enjoy blogging and spending time on the computer... probably too much. My priorities haven't been right and other things in my life suffer. Why is the computer such a draw for me? I honestly have a love hate relationship with it. I love it because I can find all kinds of wonderful information both for my home and for work (and for activity sheets I will use at Awana's tonight), but some aspects of the internet draw me back into how I felt in high school. The internet and blog world are very similar to high school for me because we are all trying to be popular. I will admit it, I wasn't ever really popular in high school, and now the internet is almost like a second chance! YUCK! I thought I was SOOO over the cliques, the peer pressure, the quest to be noticed! God has revealed that I have some ugly tendencies.... selfish, self centered, hypocritical. All this thinking and soul searching about this topic isn't new for me... God jut brought it up again..... below you will find a post I wrote last fall on my other blog. (why do I have two blogs now? that is another post) I don't think I am alone in this... I have been seeing other posts with the same flavor. I am doing some personal reflection, not criticizing anyone. The bottom line is if I died today, the internet world wouldn't even notice more than a minute, the PEOPLE in my life would feel the loss for a long time. Which relationships do I spend the most time cultivating?? If you can stand to read any more of my thoughts read the entry below....
Blog world vs reality....
Hmmm..... is there a difference in who we are on our blogs vs in real life? As I have been contemplating this whole blog thing and why it is sooooo popular I have come up with many conclusions. (which of course may or may not be correct! LOL) One thing I have decided is that we all CRAVE attention and compliments. In the blog world we can let the world see only what we want them to see! We can post all kinds of cool things, pictures and posts about things we have, done, made, places we have been, etc. We can look awesome on our blog! We don't have to let people see any of the dust, dirty laundry or bad attitudes. We feel great when we get sweet comments, we feel nice when we post sweet comments.
People can "drop by" whenever they want to without interfering with our "real life". In fact in our blog life we want people to "drop by for a visit", we count them with hit counters! Aren't we totally cool when we get a ton of hits? How would we really feel if people were really coming over for a face to face visit? Would suddenly the "realness" of life take over? Would the dirty dishes, toys out, our important schedule, our physical appearance, our attitudes and all the mess of our real life make an actual real relationship difficult? The blog world lets us have the best of both worlds.... we are personally in control of EVERYTHING and we can just live out the life we want others to see. We can receive positive support, we can become popular by counting the number of our hits and we can be a good blog friend by posting nice comments.
Please don't get me wrong, I enjoy blogging. However, what are our true motives? I believe we all crave friendship and positive comments because God created us with a need for fellowship. However, I think that it is possible to become content with blog friendships because they are "easier" than real, in the flesh kinds of friends.... after all you don't have to have a clean house to feel good about a blog friend dropping by.... my site is ALWAYS dust free!!!!! We can interact with our blog friends at our total convenience.... not much personal sacrifice ever required.... a real life friend might need us at an inconvenient time... A time I had other things planned or am tired!!!! So, am I feeding my selfish tendencies with my blog???? Is this just another way I try to exercise control? I have to really ask myself, how would I feel if someone real, in the flesh "dropped by" at this moment? Well, they would see laundry that needs folded, toys out, dishwasher that needs emptied and DUST! Would I give the friend a warm welcome or would I simply be focused on my feelings about my messy house? Oh, why couldn't they have just emailed me?? Couldn't they have just posted on my blog? hmmm.... just some thoughts I am pondering!
Now join me in taking 10 minutes to pray and seek out God's heart in this matter of hospitality and priorities!
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To end the daily "What's for supper?" question and stress please visit my website: http://www.simplefamilysupper.com |
Posted: 10:48, Wednesday, February 27, 2008 in simple living |
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Yummy!
 I made this cake for our desert. It is about the 5th time I have made it... we LOVE it! It is a recipe that was popular during the great depression because it is milk and egg free!!! Also a great recipe for those with egg or milk allergies. It mixes up quick and it is soooo moist and yummy it doesn't need a frosting! My chickens are still on their winter "vacation" so I am forced to buy my eggs again... wow has the price of eggs gone up (from about 2 years ago when I last bought eggs)! As we all know the price of milk hasn't been going down... this recipe fits the bill for me!! Enjoy!
(The great depression era) Spice Cake
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups cold water
1/2 cup canola oil
2 TBL white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla
Directions:
1) In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, soda, salt and Spices.
2) In a separate mixing bowl mix together the remaining ingredients.
3) Stir the water mixture in with the flour mixture till smooth. (I use my whisk) The batter will be thin.
Pour into a GREASED 9*13 baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack! Enjoy!!
You might find it odd that this recipe calls for vinegar! I did...until my Mom explained to me the purpose of the vinegar. Combined with Baking soda it is what makes the cake rise. You will notice that when you pour the water mixture in with the flour mixture it will bubble.... just remember those volcano science fair projects!
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To end the daily "What's for supper?" question and stress please visit my website: http://www.simplefamilysupper.com |
Posted: 08:54, Tuesday, February 26, 2008 in cooking-baking |
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Simple Family Supper Give Away
Simple Family Supper
DRAWING
Want to win a *FREE*MONTH of menu, shopping list and recipes that are published by Simple Family Supper????? For every 20 people that sign up I will be giving away 1 menu!!! To enter the drawing click here and fill out the newsletter form. Let your friends know about this opportunity... I will be giving away one for every 20 entries... the chances are great that it will be you!!!
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To end the daily "What's for supper?" question and stress please visit my website: http://www.simplefamilysupper.com |
Posted: 12:21, Friday, February 22, 2008 |
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Simply Saving Money!!!
 I am a "Country Girl" so this Frugal tip may not apply to everyone, but we save a TON of $ heating with wood! We purchased a free standing wood stove from a neighbor (who had used it in his barn) for $50. We then had to spend about another $100 hooking it all up (the smoke pipes and vents). We live in a 2000 sq ft farm house and heat our home 80% with our wood stove. We only run our furnace on RARE occasions or if we are away for the night. We have access to free wood, so we just have our labor and chainsaw expenses. While cutting, splitting, hauling, stacking, and carrying in all that wood is not for the faint of heart, it is great exercise and we have fun together as a family. For some reason it makes me feel connected with my pioneer ancestors that homesteaded in northern Indiana.... For me it brings historical life alive. Heating with wood saves us about $2000 per year!!!!! Go to Biblicalwomanhood.com for more ways to save!
*********************************************************To end the daily "What's for supper?" question and stress please visit my website: http://www.simplefamilysupper.com |
Posted: 07:43, Friday, February 22, 2008 in frugal |
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Simply Clean and Frugal
 I hate spending tons of money on cleaning products and I like to be environmental kind.... My solution is using this WONDERFUL multipurpose cleaner! I use it EVERY day!
Wonderful Homemade multipurpose cleaner:
Empty spray bottle (Windex size)
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol (I use mint or citrus fragrance... I get it at the dollar store)
fill the remainder of the bottle with water
To use it to clean windows just use 2/3 cup rubbing alcohol to speed up dry time even more.... NO streaks and just great SHINE!! You will LOVE this cleaner as much as I do!!!! It doesn't smell at all like vinegar (a smell I'm not a fan of). I have been using this for almost 2 years and haven't bought a spray cleaner since
*********************************************************To end the daily "What's for supper?" question and stress please visit my website: http://www.simplefamilysupper.com |
Posted: 06:08, Wednesday, February 20, 2008 in frugal |
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Simply Wonderful!!!!
This "simple living" gal has had some simply stressful days..... YUCK! I tend to struggle during February EVERY year.... I am soooo over winter, but the grip of cold still has a firm hold. I am ready to be outside soaking in the sun getting dirt under my nails as I dig in the garden! I want to escape the four walls and four children (I do enjoy motherhood, but am ready for a BREAK!!!). It has been weeks since I have had anytime alone..... OK, enough with my pity party..... My husband has the weekend off (that in itself is wonderful) and he has offered to stay here with the kids while I get away for the weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My Grandmother has a condo about 2 hours north of me (she winters in Texas) that is completely available for me to stay at!!!! I am SO OUT of here come Friday evening!!!!!!!! I am going to be refreshed as I sleep, read, pray and praise!!!! Thank you Jesus!!!!
Heather
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To end the daily "What's for supper?" question and stress please visit my website: http://www.simplefamilysupper.com |
Posted: 09:19, Tuesday, February 19, 2008 in general life |
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Homemakers Homestead
I just had to let you all know.... my FAVORITE forum, Homemakers Homestead, is now accepting new registrations!!! Crystal tries to keep the group small, but active and doesn't open it up for new members very often. Check it out... I love it there!
Heather
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To end the daily "What's for supper?" question and stress please visit my website: http://www.simplefamilysupper.com |
Posted: 05:09, Monday, February 18, 2008 in general life |
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Advice for daughter
My Daughter (will be 9 in April) is an INCREDIBLE help to me with our youngest two boys (ages 4/3). In fact, we BOTH got sick on the same day and I didn't have any help with the boys..... I told her we can't ever get sick on the same day.... I need her help when I am sick! She knows how to change diapers (not much practice now that Nate is potty trained), get them dressed, help them with snacks or fix simple meals, give them baths, play games, play outside, helps clean up, find things, gets them ready to go (coats and shoes) and entertains them with games, reading, crafts, etc. She really loves kids! She would like to work for moms with young children as a Mother's helper. She isn't old enough to be a baby-sitter (yet... when she is old enough I'm sure she will be in great demand), she wants to help now and earn a little money. Do any of your children work as "Mother's Helpers?" If so, how do your girls enjoy it? She would really like to help moms with their children so that the moms could take a nap, do some chores (with out interruptions) or just do something for fun (as long as the mom stays on site). My daughter could also be a "mother's Helper" on outings..... sometimes an extra set of hands is soooooo valuable!!!! My daughter has been preparing for being a mother's helper by being my own personal mother's helper (4 years of training) plus she has put together a "Kid's Kit" (box with all kinds of fun things to do with young children). She is excited about the possibility of doing this. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Heather
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To end the daily "What's for supper?" question and stress please visit my website: http://www.simplefamilysupper.com |
Posted: 03:46, Monday, February 18, 2008 in adventures with children |
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Simply Saving Money!!!
I just had to pass along this link I found for some great CVS coupons!!!!!!!!!
Also, check out Money Saving Mom for the run down on the best CVS and Walgreens offers for the week.
Heather
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To end the daily "What's for supper?" question and stress please visit my website: http://www.simplefamilysupper.com |
Posted: 08:29, Sunday, February 17, 2008 in frugal |
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T'was the night before.....
....CHURCH!!! I don't know what it is like in your home on Sunday mornings, but around here it can be crazy! What makes Sunday mornings so difficult to get out the door for church? To ward off some of the stress making sure that the following things happen on Saturday evening will help a ton....
- Showers/baths for the children
- Pick outfits and have them completely ready
- Bibles laid out
- Coats and shoes ready
- Breakfast food organized
- Get to bed on time
It is amazing how these steps can help keep the peace on a Sunday morning. I do think that the enemy attacks... he doesn't want us at church and if we do make it to church he wants us distracted and stressed! I don't want to give him an inch!
Heather
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To end the daily "What's for supper?" question and stress please visit my website: http://www.simplefamilysupper.com |
Posted: 09:31, Saturday, February 16, 2008 in general life |
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