Recipe Organization Part 1

I love to cook and try new recipes so as you can imagine I have a lot of recipe books and individual recipes that I am wanting to try.  Today I want to talk about where and how I store all of those recipes that I am waiting to try plus how I store all of my tried and true recipes and my collection of too many recipe books.  Recipe books are a weakness of mine (lol). 

 

This is a picture of my cabinet - yes an entire cabinet and this is not even all of my recipe books, almost but not all.  I said I have a problem.  lol

 

 

This is my corner basket that sits on my counter with more recipe books.

 

What I first started storing my recipes in.

 

 

Ok, first up my recipe basket.  Many years ago my mother in law bought me this lovely basket for Christmas and I loved it (still do). 

 

 

I spent a great deal of time typing my recipes onto 4x6 index cards, laminating and organizing them in my basket.

 

 

This little basket works great and we still use it to some extent but the problem for me is that my recipes were outgrowing it and I needed another system to sort and store them all (will share about it tomorrow). 

 

If you like this idea, there are many variations you could use.  First of all you could use any type of basket to store your recipes in.  This little wire basket is one that I bought a couple years ago at our local Walmart in the canning section.  I wanted it for my sink to hold my dish soap and hand lotion but it's purpose originally was to hold recipe cards.  If you typed (or printed) your recipes onto note cards you could easily fix them together with one of these little key ring type clips by simply using a hole punch and punching a hole in the corner of each card.  You can buy these in various sizes. 

 

 

 

Storing Loose recipes that I am waiting to try.

 

I find recipes that I want to try all of the time in magazines, online or that a friend may give me.  If I find it in a magazine I tear out the page, online I print the page but do I immediately fix the recipe?  NO.  Sometimes I will fix it within a few days but sometimes not for quite a while so what do I do with all these loose recipes? 

 

 

Well if you will look in my first pic of my cabinet I have this tin box sitting on the top shelf. This is a tin that was a gift and held cookies in it many Christmas' ago. When all the cookies were gone I re-purposed it and now it holds all of those recipes that I am wanting to try. 

 

 

It keeps all of those loose pieces of paper neat and it stores away nicely in my cabinet.  I pull it out from time to time when I am wanting to try something new and go through the recipes I have saved.

 

I encourage you to find a shoe box, cookie tin or something that you can store these kind of recipes in.  It will keep paper clutter to a minimum and you will know right where to go when looking for a recipe.

 

Join me tomorrow as I tell you how I sort and store my recipes now.  We still use the basket some but I a few years back I changed it up.  

 

Click here to be taken to Part 2.

Praying Through a Child's Room

Week # 18

Praying Through a Child's Room

Between listening to my Pastor and reading Stormie's book I have learned the importance of praying through your child's room. 

Most of us are in and out of our children's rooms through the day anyway (if you're not then I firmly believe you should be) so why not while you are in there say a prayer for that child? 

The following are passages from Stormie's Book on the subject.  It would be hard to say it any better than she already did.
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After talking about how her son Christopher had started having bad dreams at night, Stormie went into his room and prayed "  Lord, if there is anything in Christopher's room that shouldn't be here, show me", I prayed.  Immediately, I felt prompted to go to his computer and look at his games. 

There she found a game he had borrowed from a friend at church that looked innocent on the outside but in the back pages of the book she found the worst kind of satanic garbage. 

Every one's house needs a spiritual housecleaning from time to time, especially in the rooms where our children sleep and play. 

If your child is becoming fearful, rebellious, angry, depressed, distant, strange, a disciplinary problem, or having bad dreams and nightmares, sometimes simply praying through the room can change things quickly.  Singing Christian songs, hymns, and worship choruses in the room is also very effective, and I've seen a change of spirit in my children after I have done so.

When you pray through your child's room, remove anything that is not glorifying to God:  posters, books, magazines, pictures, photos, games, or articles of clothing depicting drug or alcohol use or any kind of blasphemy.

This is not a superstitious little ritual.  This is a powerful claiming of your home, your child, and all aspects of his life for God.  It's standing up and proclaiming, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15).  It's saying, "My home is sanctified and set apart for God's glory".

Let's start our spiritual housecleaning by praying though our children's rooms even before the need arises.
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Stormie's words above are very powerful!  Wow!  I encourage you to purchase this book if you do not own it already.  It is a great investment into the lives of our children.  I refer to mine all the time and have for many many years now. 

10 Easy Ways to Tackle Paper Clutter

 

Paper clutter!  Ugh!  Just the thought of it makes me have ill feelings and that is because this is an area that I struggle with often.  Paper comes into my house daily either through mail, school work and notes from school, shopping trips, etc... and it can pile up on us very quickly if we do not take action against it.

I have been trying to make it a point in this new year to tackle paper clutter as it arrives so that I do not have a mess like the picture above EVER again.  It is not a good feeling when stacks of paper (some important and some not) sit on your desk, or kitchen table or where ever your hot spot for it may be.

So, here is my list of 10 easy ways to help us get a handle on it.

1. Stop Junk Mail.
2. Go through your mail as soon as you bring it in and file it appropriately.  Does it need trashed, filed away, responded to, or place with your "bills to be paid"?
3. Balance your checkbook frequently (at least 2 times per week) and either toss, shred or file (important) receipts.
4. File important papers at least weekly.  In order to this efficiently you will need a workable filing system.
5. Create a "bill binder" or basket.  Have a place where you keep your bills that need paid and the ones you have already paid.  Or go paperless on your bills.
6. Cull magazines at least one time per month.  I order a few different magazines that we enjoy but almost daily we receive magazines from different companies wanting us to order from them.
7. Keep only important or special notes and papers from your children's school.
8. Have a basket, binder or some other system you use to store receipts in until they clear your bank.
9. Shred papers and empty shredder monthly.  My papers in my shredder usually pile up so high I would never get them all shredded and I end up adding them to a bon fire when we have one.
10. Write dates and information from cards and invitations in your calendar ASAP and toss the actual invitation.

So there you have it.  My list of 10 things that I am doing to try my best to cut down on paper clutter in my home.

Do you have any other good ideas to help with this problem?  I would love to hear them.

Money Savers and Makers for the Stay at Home Mom

 

As a stay at home I know that I contribute to our family.  Even though I do not bring home a paycheck there are still ways that I contribute to our finances.  

Recently my sister in law posted on her facebook page the amount of money that she and her husband spend each year on day care alone for their children and it absolutely blew my mind.  With two children in daycare full time and one through the summer they spend over $14,000.00 each year. 

Anyway, this got me to thinking about how much money that my husband and I have saved over the years because I have been able to be a stay at home mom.  And I started thinking of other ways we as stay at home mom's can save or make our family some money?

Here is what I came up with.  This list is actually mostly all things I do.  I am sure there are others that I just haven't thought of but here it is.

• Rummage Sale - When you declutter your home have a rummage sale with the items that you no longer love.
• Consignment - Consign your clothes and household items.
• Limit Driving -  I stay home most days of the week.  On my errand day I plan my trip so that I am making a circle and working my way back home so that I am not driving back and forth all of the time.  I do not make unneccesary trips to town just because and when I need to go to a store or somewhere that is a ways off I wait until I have several things I need to do in that area of town before I go.
• DIY - I make my own laundry detergent, softner, dryer sheets, window cleaner, all purpose cleaners and toilet and shower cleaners.
• Conserve - Keep things unplugged when not in use.  Turn off light switches.  Limit the amount of water used when washing clothes, take shorter showers, etc...
• Downgrade - My husband and I switched to a pre-paid cell phone a year ago and it was one of the best thinga we have done to help with our finances.  We did not have smart phones but were paying nearly $95 per month for our 2 phones.  Now we simply add minutes when needed.  For our phones now I pay about $15 per month average and we have more than enough talk/text time.
• Coupon - I am not talking extreme couponing but saving 50 cents off a tube of toothpaste or 25 cents off of your dish soap adds up over time.
• Price Match - Watch your Sunday paper.  Walmart will price match even store brand items.
• Shop Sales - Only buy certain items like the more expensive ones when they are on sale and stock up.
• Goodwill or Thrift Stores - Most of my clothes in my closet come from either Goodwill or they are hand-me-downs.  Very few articles of my clothing have I bought at a Department store and even the few of those that I have I got when they were on sale or clearance.
• Clothes Swap - I do not do this but wish I had someone close that wore my same size clothing that I could do this with.  I think it would be fun! 
• Meal Planning - This is a biggie!  Plan your meals, make your grocery list from your menu and cook at home.  Eating out costs a LOT - so limit eating out and cook at home. 
• Pre Packaged Items are a NO NO - I am not saying that I never buy these things but I will say that I rarely buy them.  I tell my kids often (and my husband) that I bought stuff to cook.  :)  Pre packaged cookies, or already made snacks or foods can really make your grocery bill high (I know from experience).  Now I bake my own cookies or sweets at home.  I buy one bag of cereal every 2 weeks for my boys for breakfast after that is gone they have to eat homemade pancakes, gravy and biscuits, eggs or something else less expensive that I can make myself.  
• Offer services - If you have a special talent or something you love to do then why not get paid for it?  I have friends who decorate cakes, make homemade bags, diaper bags, purses, etc..., cater parties, make and sell candles, babysit and the list could go on and on.  The best part is they do this while tending to their home and children.
• Recycle - currently I save my aluminum pop cans. 

None of these items alone will make or save you a ton of money but when you put these together and do them regularly they really will make a difference in your budget.

If you are a stay at home mom, what are some ways that you save or make money to help with your families finances?

To Read Part 2, My Readers Suggestions click here.

Staying Attracted to Holiness and Purity

This subject for me is one that is near and dear to my heart.  It is more of a concern than many of these other prayers that we have covered.  Why?  Because I know from experience how easy it is to get off the right path and to walk down the wrong one at full speed. 

I want different for my children.  I want them to not make the same mistakes that I made.  I know that children will mess up and make mistakes but we teach our children in ways that neither my husband or myself were taught when we were growing up. 

One thing that this chapter makes me think of right off is how I am always "preaching" to my boys how they are different.  In a good way.  In a way that the Bible tells us we are supposed to be. 

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

(a peculiar people - special people, different people)

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

John 15:19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

We are to be lights shining in darkness.  We are to be the leaders and I know that this is hard task for any of us but especially for children.  It is hard to be the different one in a crowd.  It is hard to say no when all of your other friends are doing something (of course then we may need to talk about the kind of friends our children keep).  My boys are good kids, who know what the Bible says, who know to do right but they are still young men of God who are living in this sinful world and they have to make choices everyday.  They are targets for the devil which is why we must clothe ourselves and our children in the armor of God.

Ephesians 6:10 - 17  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Will they mess up and choose wrongly?  I pray not.  We must teach our children, model the correct behavior for them and PRAY for them to stand out and stay attracted to holiness and purity.  So I encourage you to pray for your children to stand out and be different.  Pray for godly friends for them so that they have others of their own age to help encourage and support them. 

Proverbs 20:11  Even a child is known by his acts, whether [or not] what he does is pure and right.

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I also want to announce the winner of my Give Away for a copy of The Purposeful Mom's newly released eBook - God's Word in my Heart. The winner was picked at random through the website random.org. Thank you to the ones that entered and the winner is my sweet friend: Dee I will be sending your email info to Jenn at the Purposeful Mom and she will email you the link to download her book. Again, thank you for entering.

God's Word in my Heart eBook

Don't forget to order your download copy of The Purposeful Mom's new eBook titled "God's Word in my Heart:  A Scripture Learning Guide with Memory Verses!"

Help your children hide God's Word in their young hearts and learn Scripture alongside them with God's Word in My Heart: A Scripture Learning Guide with Memory Verses!

To purchase the book, all you have to do is click the picture below and you will be directed to a page where you can make your purchase.

This eBook includes:

• Ideas for teaching Scripture to your children, from the baby on up
• List of Songs and other Go-Alongs for learning Scripture
• List of specific songs that go with the memory verses
• Printable Scripture memory verses for use at home, school or church
• ABC Memory Verses
• Verses on Sin and Salvation

There are three versions of God's Word in My Heart available:

• KJV (King James Version)
• NASB (New American Standard)
• Variety (ESV, NIV 1984, NASB, NKJV

In this downloadable book are plenty of fun and meaningful ideas for teaching your children Scripture at all ages and stages, ABC Bible memory verses and verses about God's plan of salvation. 

The purchase price is only $3.99

Also, I am doing a Give Away of the book.  Click here to be taken to the post containing the information.  Entries for the Give Away are accepted until 11:59 pm eastern time on Monday, February 18th!

Bible Study Notebook

Today I am finishing up my series on Bible Study Organization. 

I use a one subject notebook (which stays in my Bible Study Basket) for my daily Bible study. This is nothing special, just a simple notebook where I record my daily scripture reading and thoughts.  

Note:  I only use this when I am actively involved in an actual "Bible Study".   I do not use this on a daily basis when I am simply reading my Bible.  

I use the S.O.A.P. method for my Bible study.  I learned about this from the Good Morning Girls Bible Study Group that I am a part of.  I am currently leading my third online Bible study through Good Morning Girls.  

   

It really is an easy method to use that in my opinion helps you to get a great deal out of your Bible reading.  Here is a sample of one of my pages from the first Bible study I did using S.O.A.P.

I know that all of these posts make it seem like I have a ton of stuff that I tote around my house from place to place but honestly I don't.  I have my one big binder and then my basket which holds everything else. 

I hope you have enjoyed reading about how I keep my Bible study, devotion and prayer time organized.

Now just find a nice quiet place to sit with your coffee and enjoy the blessing of having a neat and organized Bible Study.

Do you have any ideas to share of how you organize yours?

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Read my posts on Bible Study/Prayer Organization here:

Bible Study Binder / Prayer Journal

Bible Verse Memorization

Bible Study Organization

Prayer Card Notebook

God's Word in my Heart eBook and A Give Away

My friend and fellow blogger Jenn at The Purposeful Mom has a new eBook being released today that is full of ideas to use with your children to help them (and you) memorize scripture. 

I received an advance copy of the eBook to review some time back and it is packed full of great ideas for learning scripture that you could use with your own children, a Sunday school class, etc. 

Jenn truly has poured her heart into this eBook with the hope and prayer that it will encourage you to spend more time in God's Word yourself and especially with your children. 

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Help your children hide God's Word in their young hearts and learn Scripture alongside them with God's Word in My Heart: A Scripture Learning Guide with Memory Verses!

To purchase the book, all you have to do is click the picture below and you will be directed to a page where you can make your purchase. 

 

 

This eBook includes:

• Ideas for teaching Scripture to your children, from the baby on up
• List of Songs and other Go-Alongs for learning Scripture
• List of specific songs that go with the memory verses
• Printable Scripture memory verses for use at home, school or church
• ABC Memory Verses
• Verses on Sin and Salvation

There are three versions of God's Word in My Heart available:

• KJV (King James Version)
• NASB (New American Standard)
• Variety (ESV, NIV 1984, NASB, NKJV

In this downloadable book are plenty of fun and meaningful ideas for teaching your children Scripture at all ages and stages, ABC Bible memory verses and verses about God's plan of salvation. 
The book is on sale for one day only - February 14th, 2013 for $1.99. 

After that the price will be $3.99.

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Now for the Give Away!  The Give Away will start at midnight on Thursday, February 14th and will run for 4 days until Monday, February 18th.  It will close at 11:59 pm eastern time on Monday.  I will announce the winner on my blog and contact you through email on Tuesday, February 19th!

I am making this simple for you.  All you have to do is leave a comment at the end of this post that includes the following:  1) Your favorite Bible Verse and 2) Your email address so that if you are the winner I will be able to contact you. 

I will be using www.random.org to pick the comment.  First comment in (with Bible verse and email) will be number one and so on.  Random.org will pick a number from the total number of comments left for me - so it will be totally fair and of course random. 

Remember, included in your comment must be your favorite Bible verse and your email address!

**If you buy the book and are chosen as the winner of this Give Away, Jenn from The Purposeful Mom will refund your purchase price to you.**

Bible Verse Memorization

Today I wanted to take a moment to share with you the current method we are using to help us memorize bible verses.

I use 3x5 index cards to write the verses on but this new system keeps them better organized and also helps us memorize more because it uses a lot of repetition.

We now use the Charlotte Mason System for sorting and storing all of those index cards. If you click on the link above it will show you exactly what I am talking about. This link has a video on "how to", free printables, a verses list and written instructions on the system.

I place the note cards with Bible verses in various places that we see often throughout the house.  This one is hanging on the bulletin board in my kitchen.  I also have them hanging on bathroom mirrors.  As we go through out our days, the Word of God is right there in front of us to read over, quote and practice. 

You could adapt this system any way that you like or there are many other great methods out there to help you with your scripture memorization. 

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Using Note Cards is just one of the many ways The Purposeful Mom shares about in her new eBook that is about to be released.

Please Join me tomorrow (February 14, 2013 at 12:00 am - eastern time) for a "Give Away" of my friend and fellow bloggers eBook.  Jenn from The Purposeful Mom is releasing her new ebook on Scripture Memorization and I am doing a "Give Away" on my blog. 

Learning to Speak Life - Praying for our Children

Did you know that your words are powerful?  I mean really, did you know that in the words that you speak there is power? 

The Bible says in Proverbs 18:21 that death and life are in the power of our tongues. 

What does that mean exactly?  Well I look at it like this...

If you are constantly told as a child that you can do or achieve anything you set your mind to - You believe it.  If you are told that you are great - You believe it.  If you are told that the sky is the limit and nothing is impossible for you to do or be when you grow up - You believe it.

On the other hand...

If you are told as a child that you are not good at or for anything - You believe it.  If you are told you are worthless and that you will never amount to anything - You believe it.  If you are told that you will never have enough, never get ahead and always be poor - You believe it.

Life and Death. 

God spoke the world into existence.  God spoke life into existence.  God uses His Words to Call into being those things that be not as though they were the Bible says in Romans 4:17.

Life. 

You are snared with the words of your lips, you are caught by the speech of your mouth.  Proverbs 6:2  For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced.  Matthew 12:37

Death.

The old saying "sticks and stones may break my bones but your words will never hurt me" isn't really a true statement.  I was taught this saying as a child but as an adult I realize that is not totally true.  Yes it is true that words can not physically attack me but the words that are spoken to me can "hurt" me emotionally and spiritually.  Once words are spoken, they are out there FOREVER!  Someone may forgive you for harsh or hurtful words that you spoke to them but they will never forget them.  I know I don't. 

So my point in all of this is simple.  Your words that you speak to your children, about your children and over your children in prayer are powerful and important.  Make sure they are the right words.  Make sure they are life giving words.

Also, teach your children the importance of speaking words that are full of love and life and not words that are full of hurt and death about themselves and to others.
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Matthew 12:34  You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

Matthew 12:35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.

Proverbs 13:3 Those who guard their lips preserve their lives,
but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.

Cross references:

1. Proverbs 13:3 : S Ps 12:2; S 34:13
2. Proverbs 13:3 : S Pr 10:6; 21:23
3. Proverbs 13:3 : S Job 1:22; Pr 18:7, 20-21

Proverbs 16:24 Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Bible Study Binder and Prayer Journal

Yesterday I did a post about how I now organize my Bible Study essentials - You can read that post by clicking here.  Today, I am showing you my Bible Study/Prayer Binder. I have been using this method for about 7 years now.  I started with a regular one inch 3 ring binder but quickly outgrew that.

Now I use a Mead 3 ring binder sort of trapper keeper that is much larger.  It keeps all of my papers very neat, well organized and easily accessible.  This binder is also portable just like my Bible Study Basket.

This is a look on the inside at some of my various tabs.  I have a total of 5 large tabs titled prayer, husband/wife, parenting, inspirational quotes and holidays.  These large dividers are labeled for different areas of prayer or study and I add to these as needed.  When I print things from different blogs, Bible studies or receive different papers from church that I want to hold on to this is where I file them.  

I also have several smaller tabs (as seen below) behind my larger prayer tab.  I have one for "family issues" which are things that directly affect my immediate family as a whole then I have a divider for each member of my immediate family.  I also have a divider titled "family" and one for "friends" which is where I list prayers or journal about individuals that fall into those categories.  This is where I write things I am praying for concerning a particular person in that group.  

                                     

I love this system because instead of having many pieces of paper laying around the house they all have a home, which makes me happy - "a place for everything". 

Do you have any kind of Bible study binder that you use?

Join me next week as I show you my system for Bible Verse Memorization and my Bible Study Notebook!

Bible Study Organization

Today I want to share with you how I organize all of my Bible study tools.  I re-purposed a basket I already had on hand so no expense was involved.

What makes this nice is that when I am studying my Bible all of my essentials are right at hand and it is portable.  I have my Bible, my notebook, pens and highlighters, post it notes, scripture memorization card holder, prayer card notebook and current books I am reading all together in the same place.  I like the fact that it is portable because in warmer weather I do my Bible study on either my front porch or back deck and this allows me to pick it up and go to a new location with ease.

As you can probably see from this picture I have two Bibles in my basket.  One is my NKJV and the other is my new NIV Life Application Study Bible that I bought myself with my Christmas money and I LOVE it (thanks Lysa Terkeurst for the recommendation).  We do have other versions of the Bible that I refer to as well.

  

Soon I will be posting my personal Bible Study Binder and Prayer Journal. 

What about you?  Do you have some special way that you organize your Bible study essentials?  Do you have a particular place and / or time you do your Bible study?  I would love to hear from you.