Breakfast Kits

It easy for a wife to let caring for her husband fall by the wayside.  After all, it isn't like all she does all day is eat bon-bons and watch soaps.  There's tons to do, and he can take care of himself, right?  Well, he may actually be able to take care of himself, but we wives are called to be our husband's helpmate.  The needs of children are all up in our faces every day and so our husbands just slide into a back seat, so to speak.  I've realized that I have to be purposeful about serving my husband so he isn't forgotten.  Loving my husband is such a good example for our children too! 

Sometimes I stand in the middle of the kitchen and say to myself, "What one thing can I do today that would bless the Rugged Mountain Man?"  (Yes, I look strange doing this.  I have that blank look on my face that says that I have a million things to do and I'm not sure what to tackle next AND I'm not sure what Blossom4 is doing at that moment!)

It's funny.  A husband might verbalize, "The garden really needs weeded."  To which a wife might respond, "I'm so busy.  I don't have time."  The irony is that she has time for playdates, Pinterest, facebook, chocolate and phone calls.  But she doesn't have time for the one little request he may have made recently.  I have to try REALLY hard to pay attention to those things he mentions, even though I have great excuses for being busy (FOUR to be exact!). 

Recently I was thinking that I needed a breakfast solution for the Rugged Mountain Man.  You see, we have lots of eggs here on this little Micro Farm,

so Mommy lays out Daddy's bowl and fork the night before and Daddy eats eggs every morning.  I get bored just thinking about eggs EVERY morning! 

Behold, BREAKFAST KITS!!!

 

I cooked up a variety of mix-ins - sweet peppers, hot peppers, onions, ham, sausage and cheese.  Then, I packaged them in snack size Ziploc bags so all the Rugged Mountain Man has to do is mix them in with his morning scramble!  I also cooked up a few breakfast sandwiches to change it up a bit.  It didn't take long at all and what a nice little way to bless my husband! 

 

What can you do today to bless your husband? 

Ain't nobody here?

Growing up, my parents and our church talked a lot about excellence - doing everything as unto the Lord.  Do whatever it is in the most excellent way possible, be it small or big.  I think that the temptation as a housewife is to think that nobody's watching.  Nobody is here but me and the kiddos.  So, housewives can get in a slovenly rut. 

Whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord.

Housewives and stay at home moms are tempted just to throw on some clothes, to slap some food on the table, to avoid the hard and dirty work whenever possible, to do the bare discipline minimum.  Why?  Ladies, we buy into that when we think nobody is here. 

Somebody is here. 

He is watching. 

He is watching what you put on your body.  He is watching how you interact with your husband.  He is watching how you raise and discipline your children.  He is watching all those loads of wash that you do and all those meals that you cook.  The Almighty is in my home and He is watching me.  That thought alone is a thought that propels me from the slovenly rut to the "heartily" side. 

Whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord.

Life Lately

"Got anything good to eat in there?"

 

"Are those chicken treats you're making?"

 

"Sorry, Rhoda, these are DOG treats!!!" 

 

The girls have started their baking for their "Jake's Cakes" craft shows.  This is our third year and we were only scheduled to do one show.  A lady had picked up their business card and called and asked them to set up at another one.  The Blossom were SO excited.  So, they've been baking up a storm!  Although it is hard for me to watch my tidy kitchen turn into hurricane aftermath, the things they learn while being independent in the kitchen are amazing. 

 

(It is also entertaining to hear a 9 year old and 7 year old whine to their Grandma about how Mommy needs to buy another "decent" rolling pin because they are tired of one or two girlies having to use a little kid rolling pin.)

Blossom4 Never likes being left out, so she helps herself to a sampling of the Peanut Butter Biscuits! 

Jake is not pictured, but believe me, he is ALWAYS nearby when the girlies are baking dog treats.  He KNOWS that this stuff is (sorta) for him.  Blossom4 got to a tray of cooling treats and promptly helped Jake to a goodly number of them, much to the other Blossoms' chagrin!

So, tomorrow, we'll be sitting out in the cold, learning the lessons of entrepreneurship.  I'm glad we have opportunities to do stuff like this.  It brings back memories of my sister and I selling homemade hats and "fancy fans" with our Mom. 

From Grandma's Rocking Chair

My grandmother is a very wise lady.  She was the wife of a farmer.  Together they raised TEN children.  Ten children who are hard workers.  Ten children who are generous and kind.  I love to hear about my dad's childhood.  It brings perspective to the entitlement mentality I see in this day and age.  For example, my dad didn't go out to eat at a restaurant until he was EIGHTEEN years old.  For real.  He used to say that to us when we'd whine about something at a restaurant.  And now, I tell the Blossoms that.  Here's a relevant piece of advice from Grandma.

"It's not the high cost of living; 
It's the cost of high living that gets people."

That and, just add more water to the soup pot if you don't think your soup will stretch far enough.  Then, it's stretch every time.  :)  Thanks, Grandma.

How She Got a Cell Phone or Rock On, My Little LG Tracfone!

The Rugged Mountain Man and I were able to go out on a little date this past week.  Wings, fries, chit-chat, coffee, ice cream... it all melded together for such a pleasant evening.  Mammas and Daddies NEED to do this often.  I know firsthand. 

We usually joke that our small town boasts few activities for date nights.  We enjoy walking along the river and shopping at the little shops, but other than that, the options are usually limited.  Imagine our delight when we stumbled upon some pretty good coffee shop music to go with our coffee and (Hershey's) ice cream.  So relaxing and fun!

Of course, in a nod to tradition, we made a stop at Lowe's and Walmart as well.  I realize most folks fail to see the romance in that, but we are eager to savor the slower pace and peaceful quiet of being together in any store... just think, we can finish a thought process and speak without interruption! 

At Walmart, the Rugged Mountain Man treated me to a cell phone! 

HURRAH!!! 

We've been a one cell phone family for many years now.  It worked well for us when the girlies were all little and we were always home.  If not, Mommy just had the phone that day.  Nowadays, Daddy's carpooling colleagues aren't so excited to hear a feminine voice answer when they are searching for Daddy's whereabouts or trying to discuss a work-related emergency.  The Blossoms are now older and Mommy has to drive more - piano lessons, 4-H meetings, co-op class, miscellaneous errands...  Additionally, throw in two close calls in the last months, (getting run off the road by a local construction company semi and narrowly missing a power company pole as well as this adventure!) and Mommy was anxious for an emergency phone.  I realized, "Yes, I still don't need that unlimited text package or an iPhone."  Honestly, that doesn't fit our single income budget.  I'm not trying to share too much information here.  Rather, I'd like you to see what it made me see.  The fancy phone package is rarely a need and usually a want for most folks.  I realized that I had previously pestered my husband for a text package and had no good reason for it (other than wanting what everyone else had).  I changed my attitude and my tactics.  Eureka!  I researched what would truly meet a need for our family. 

Long story short, here I am, considering writing my husband a thank you card because I'm so stinkin' tickled pick with my $9.88 LG flip phone that literally has approximately 20 minutes a month on it.  (I did the math, it's costing us a little under $7.00/month.)  When I'm carting around these beauties, I'm grateful for the little extra peace of mind.

And, if you can get a little encouragement out of my offbeat cell phone story, please get past the, "Welcome to the 21st century, Dominique" and take a little helping of contentment too.  It's surprising the satisfaction it brings to be thankful and content over something so small.