Peace

Some of my favorite verses in the Bible refer to peace. Philippians 4:7 describes the "peace of God that passeth all understanding." Isaiah 26:3 says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." In John 14:27, Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

So how can I demonstrate peace to my children? By trusting in God whatever the circumstances may be, by committing my burdens to Him in prayer, by submitting to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Once again, I believe that this is a maturing process that takes place in our lives as we study God's Word and learn to rely on ourselves less and lean on Him more.

Here are some thought-provoking quotes on peace.

"Freedom from desire leads to inner peace." - Lao Tzu

"For peace of mind, we need to resign as general manager of the universe."- Larry Eisenberg

"Possession of material riches, without inner peace, is like dying of thirst while bathing in a lake."- Paramahansa Yogananda

"A peace above all earthly dignities, a still and quiet conscience." - William Shakespeare

"There may be those on earth who dress better or eat better, but those who enjoy the peace of God sleep better." - L.Thomas Holdcroft

photo courtesy public domain pictures

Homemade Cleaner

My smooth top range has been in need of a good cleaning. I have resisted buying the special product that I previously used to clean it since it's rather expensive, even when I have a coupon.

A few weeks ago I read on Jo-Lynne's blog, Musings of a Housewife, that she used a mixture of vinegar and water to clean her stove. Being the skeptic that I am, I waited awhile before deciding to try this idea. When I realized that I already had an empty spray bottle, along with white vinegar, in the pantry, I mixed up a half portion of what she made (my skepticism rearing its head again!) and it did a great job! While there are a few stubborn stains that I don't believe would come off even with a designated cleaner, the water and vinegar mixture gave it a good de-greasing and a lovely shine!

I think I'll try this cleaner on some other household tasks. Making my own inexpensive cleaner works for me!

Now I would like to know what works for you in the area of hair shampoo. I would love to try a natural shampoo, so if you use one or know of one that works well, please share it with me in the comments section.

Read more tips at Works For Me Wednesday.

A Teacher With a Passion

I am artistically challenged.

While I can appreciate most art (Impressionist paintings being my favorite), I have never had a talent for any form of it. Therefore I was quite surprised several weeks ago when my eight-year-old expressed an interest in creating an art piece for a fine arts competition at her school. She told me that in the half-hour art class they have each week during school, the art teacher had offered the students the opportunity to stay after school to receive help in making an art piece if they wished.

So last Wednesday my daughter spent some time with this teacher beginning a project for the competition. I am so impressed by this teacher and the giving of her time and talent to help children learn about art. How blessed my daughter is to have a teacher who is passionate about what she teaches and has the ability to impart the love of her subject to her students. While I could read about art and study the differing techniques in order to help my daughter, it would be difficult for me to create the same kind of excitement that her art teacher has.

I've quoted my dad on this before -"We love people who love our kids." I so appreciate this teacher taking her time after school hours to work with my daughter and others, to show her how to make something beautiful, to open her eyes to a world that I would have difficulty navigating. This may end up being a passing fancy, but the time and attention that this teacher is investing in her is a gift that will last forever.

This post is linked to Gratituesday and Thankful Thursday.

photo courtesy public domain pictures

Loaded Potato Soup

A cool, rainy Monday gave me an excuse to make my first pot of potato soup for the season tonight! I like my potato soup pretty thick and creamy, without large lumps of potatoes. This particular recipe is loosely based on a version from O'Charley's restaurant. I usually serve it with grilled cheese sandwiches made with thick slices of Italian or French bread.

Loaded Potato Soup

8 cups water
1 1/4 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 11 ounce can concentrated cheddar cheese soup
6 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup flour
1 cup half-and-half

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add potatoes to the water along with the bouillon cubes, salt and pepper. Cook 12 minutes or until potatoes have softened slightly. Stir in cheddar cheese soup and simmer 10 more minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a heavy saucepan. Add flour and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Whisk flour mixture into the potato mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in half-and-half and heat to serving temperature. (Do not allow soup to return to a boil.) Serve topped with shredded cheese, chopped scallions or bacon bits, if desired.

Find more great recipes at Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap, Friday Food and Foodie Friday.

Fun Family Weekend

Over the weekend, we had the wonderful opportunity to spend some time together as a family.

Instead of just sharing gifts on special occasions, I often enjoy giving our daughters tickets to an event or activity that we can participate in as a family. To celebrate our younger daughter's graduation from Kindergarten at the end of May (yes, May!), we had promised her a trip to the zoo. With the heat and other activities of the summer, it kept getting put off. However, since the girls got out of school early on Friday, we decided to take advantage of those extra hours and the cooler weather to visit the zoo.

We were able to see many different animals.

The zoo also has a petting farm and barn area where the girls got to milk a pretend cow.

I think the girls' favorite part was the Aquarium and Reptile Complex.

On Saturday there was a fall carnival at their school, so we stopped by and watched the girls play some games and go on a hayride.

I'm thankful that we were able to enjoy spending time with each other while making memories to look back on in the days to come!

Book Review: Find Your Strongest Life by Marcus Buckingham

As a woman, do you find yourself seeking balance in the various areas of your life? In Find Your Strongest Life: What the Happiest and Most Successful Women Do Differently, Marcus Buckingham suggests that instead of trying to find that balance, you should determine what your strongest moments are and build around those. Whether it is in your work, family interactions or a hobby, pinpoint the times that you feel most fulfilled and use them to structure the rest of your life.

The author offers nine common roles, one of which is most likely your lead role and one your supporting role. He encourages you to learn to know and accept yourself while not attempting to fit in with what others’ expectations of you may be. The author includes letters from women unsatisfied with their current state and uses two characters in particular to demonstrate his points. Part Three of the book deals with strong life tactics and gives answers to many commonly asked questions.

I found some sections of this book to be helpful and insightful. It did seem to lean somewhat toward a “me-first” philosophy with much of the content based on making myself happy without necessarily considering the repercussions on my family and others. My favorite section dealt with Tactics for Stronger Kids. I would like to employ some of Buckingham’s strategies in helping my own daughters recognize and develop their strengths as they grow and mature.

Best Week Ever At Publix?!!

If you were entering your local Publix around 8:45 A.M. on Wednesday morning and heard a barely suppressed squeal of glee from a nearby shopper, it was probably me!

You see, in my cart were three bags (reusable, of course) full of groceries that I purchased for $14.15. How much did I save? Thought you'd never ask!! $44.97. Yes, as in forty-four dollars and ninety-seven cents. Guess I should have gone for a rebel yell as opposed to that squeal of glee!

Several things combined to make this a great trip. First of all, another $5 off a $25 purchase Rite-Aid coupon. Secondly, free items. The crescent rolls were on sale for $1 a can and I had four coupons for $1 off. The Green Giant frozen vegetables were also $1 a box; I had two $.50 off coupons which doubled to $1 off, making them free as well.

As far as sale items went, the Cascadian Farms organic granola bars were at a B1G1 Free price of $2 each and I had coupons for $1 off, making them just $1 a box. My girls like the Craisins for school snacks; Rite-Aid had coupons for $1 off and since the Publix price was $1.50, I only paid $.50 a bag. The large jars of Ragu were on sale at a B1G1 Free price of $1.60 each and I had a coupon for $.60 off of two, making them just $1.30 a jar (less than I sometimes pay for the smaller jar). I always seem to need mailers for one thing or another and wanted to use a $.50 off coupon that was getting ready to expire. Since my coupon doubled, I only paid $.19 for a large padded mailer.

I very much enjoy shopping at Publix and, as Fiddledeedee Mom suggested, took the time this week to send a "thank you" e-mail at their website for the good customer service I always receive when shopping there.

If my deals were this good, I'm sure that others have great ones to share as well! You can find them at Friday Finals, I Heart Publix, Super Savings Saturday, Shopping Superstars, Super Savers and Grocery Cart Challenge.

Embrace the Traditions

There he sits in the corner chair in my bedroom, his unseeing eyes fixed in place, his red horns never moving.

If you entered our master bedroom, you might wonder why a Christmas reindeer holds court, an apparently out-of-place decoration on this early October morning. He is there out of courtesy to my six-year-old daughter.

You see, some months ago she thought it was important that my husband and I have a stuffed animal to keep us company through the night. It only makes sense in her mind, the child who would sleep with an army of them if I didn't relegate her to two, that we should have one for our bed, also.

At first, the animals who were given to us each night rotated - an elephant one night, a teddy bear the next. Then somehow we ended up with reindeer. Now he doesn't return "home" to my daughter's room each night, but remains in our chair all day.

It's not that she's forgotten him, oh no. Every night after bedtime prayers, hugs and kisses, as I leave the room for the final time, she calls, "Do you have reindeer?" My answer is "Yes, I do."

So as I make the bed today, I glance over and see him there. She is at school, in the midst of reading words and reciting math facts. I am home alone, yet I feel her love, her spirit, her imagination. This small piece of stuffed fabric symbolizes much more than it knows. He is part of the family, a tradition that will linger when his owner has moved beyond stuffed animals, when she no longer holds one in her grasp as she drifts off to sleep.

I hope she doesn't reclaim him too soon. Our chair will look mighty empty without him.

This post is linked to Your Life, Your Blog, Beautiful Life Friday, Finer Things Friday and Show & Tell Friday.

Learning and Reading

I realized that it's been awhile since I posted anything about books or reading - shocking, I know!! The two posts below spurred my thinking along those lines and led me to share with you what we're currently reading.

This week Simple Mom wrote about 8 Ways to Pursue a Lifetime of Learning. I want to always be learning and growing in each area of my life and, as she mentions, one of the ways to do that is to continually be reading. I just finished Find Your Strongest Life by Marcus Buckingham and will be posting a review of his book next week. I've almost completed Mary Slessor: Heroine of Calabar by Basil Miller. Next in line are Parenting by The Book by John Rosemond (I've loved his previous books!) and Growing a Healthy Marriage by Mike Yorkey.

Another article I enjoyed was one that a guest poster at Steady Mom wrote about reading aloud to older kids. As I've mentioned before, I still read aloud to my girls at bedtime. My eight-year-old and I are almost done with Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison by Lois Lenski. This book has been okay, but not one of my favorites. I'm reading my younger daughter The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit. My older daughter has recently expressed an interest in art, which corresponds well with the copy of Draw and Write through History by Carylee Gressman that I just received. I'll let you know soon how she does with it.

As far as movies, we usually stick to older Disney fare or things that I watched as a girl. However, for our recent out-of-town trip, we went to the library and checked out Samantha: An American Girl Holiday for the girls to watch in the car on the portable DVD player. I cringed a bit when it started out with two of the characters calling each other "dumb" (a word we don't allow them to call others), but other than that they enjoyed it very much. I didn't find it quite as entertaining as my personal favorite, Anne of Green Gables, but I'm pretty biased toward that one!

Have you read any great books yourself or to your kids lately? I'm always looking for something new to add to our list, so be sure to let me know in the comments section.