2009 at 4:12 pm | by Nicole Whitacre
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Homemaking Holidays and Seasons
I’ve barely recovered from my Turkey Bowl injuries (Kristin covered me so ferociously that Dad—permanent quarterback and referee—called her for unnecessary roughness.) But today I’ll drag my aching body up to the attic to dig out the advent calendar.
Mom bought it for us a few years ago, and my children love to open a new door each day to find a piece of candy and a Scripture about the Christmas story. Steve reads the verses aloud while the kids listen attentively, their mouths full of chocolate and nougat.
In the past, I’ve used this simple Christmas countdown and references. This year, now that Jack’s older, I’m adapting this schedule of longer readings that begin with the Old Testament prophecies. As the days march toward Christmas, I want him to connect, in some small way, to the centuries of longing for the Messiah.
I’ve also pulled Nancy Guthrie’s Come Thou Long Expected Jesus off the bookshelf and placed it in my basket of quiet time stuff. I didn’t mark it up, as I do most of my books, so I can enjoy the daily readings afresh each year.
For my children, and for myself, I don’t want “the busyness of [the Christmas season]…to crowd out a quiet anticipation of the wonder of incarnation.” I want the glories of God become man to illuminate and outshine all our Christmas joys.
2009 at 10:50 pm | by Nicole Whitacre
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Homemaking Holidays and Seasons
Dad kindly agreed to postpone the annual Turkey Bowl (traditionally the day after Thanksgiving) until tomorrow when the weather is supposed to be milder. But here’s a shot of the kids (and dads) following yesterday’s Turkey Egg Hunt. Hope you all enjoy your holiday weekend! Nicole for the girltalkers
2009 at 2:26 pm | by Janelle Bradshaw
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Homemaking Holidays and Seasons
2009 at 12:27 pm | by Nicole Whitacre
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Homemaking Holidays and Seasons
If you’re looking for a fun activity for the kids tomorrow, this is one of our children’s favorites:
Rice Krispy Turkeys
These cute little turkeys are a great edible craft to make with the kids while the real turkey is roasting in the oven. Mix up a batch of Chocolate Rice Krispies and design them into turkey treats. Then save them for a fun table decoration, ready to eat for dessert.
Supplies for Turkey Treats:
*Chocolate Rice Krispy Cereal
*Marshmallows- using the colored marshmallows works best at keeping the chocolate crispy treats brown.
*Butter
*Toothpicks- colored and party ones with the fun flare on top.
*Assorted Candy- Mike & Ikes, candy corn, gum drops, mini m&ms, fruit loop cereal, more marshmallows.
Mix up a batch of Rice Krispies using the Chocolate cereal, marshmallows, and butter. Let it cool for a few minutes. Then grease your hands with vegetable spray and form the Krispies into balls. Try to use the colored marshmallows for making these. If you use white marshmallows, just roll your balls into more chocolate cereal to make them more brown for the turkey bodies.
Using a utensil, make holes for the candy to be placed in the body. For the snood (the red thing on the turkey’s beak) I cut a red Mike & Ike in half or you can cut a gum drop in half. We also liked candy corn for the beak, perfect size and color.
Now add your feathers. So many possibilities here. We used toothpicks, marshmallows, cereal, etc.
We added a cellophane bag and ribbon to them, so they would stay nice and soft for dessert. We also placed a name tag on each one for a fun place setting.
This activity should keep the kiddies busy for a little while. Make one for each person coming to dinner. Then have fun gobbling these fun Turkey Treats up after Thanksgiving Dinner.
2009 at 4:06 pm | by Nicole Whitacre
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Homemaking Holidays and Seasons Recipes
We’re preparing for Thanksgiving and we want to bring you in on the fun. Mom’s got the turkey covered (after the disastrous Thanksgiving of 2007 we girls intercede for her health all week).
I’m already thinking about leftovers.
You see, a few months ago, my mother-in-law, Nancy (who has a knack for finding delicious new recipes) made Jack Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa. I’ve been waiting to share them with you ever since.
I have to admit I was skeptical when she told me the ingredients—I don’t tend to like sweet and spicy mixed together. But wow, this cranberry salsa is absolutely delicious! Five stars! Four forks! Five mitts! (Can you tell I’ve been browsing recipe sites all week?)
These quesadillas are a unique way to use up leftover turkey and cranberry sauce; or, as the recipe suggests, you can put the salsa on turkey sandwiches. I might just eat the salsa with a spoon; it’s that good.
Jack Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3 wedges, about 1/4 cup salsa, and 1 tablespoon sour cream)
Ingredients
* Salsa:
* 1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
* 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 Anjou pear, cored and finely diced
* 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
*
Quesadillas:
* Cooking spray
* 1/4 cup (2-inch-thick) slices green onions
* 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers
* 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
* 2 cups chopped cooked turkey
* 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
Preparation
To prepare salsa, combine first 7 ingredients. Cover and chill.
To prepare quesadillas, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 1/4 cup sliced onions to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Remove onions from pan; reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over each of 4 tortillas. Top each cheese-covered tortilla with one-fourth of onions, 1/2 cup turkey, 2 tablespoons cheese, and 1 tortilla.
Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add 1 quesadilla to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned and cheese melts. Repeat with remaining quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into 6 wedges. Serve with cranberry salsa and sour cream.
2009 at 5:55 pm | by Carolyn Mahaney
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Homemaking Holidays and Seasons Recipes
Here’s the recipe I use for the turkey that will grace our table on Thanksgving Day:
The World’s Best Turkey Recipe
Original Recipe Yield 1 (12 pound) turkey
Ingredients
* 1 (12 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
* 1/2 cup butter, cubed
* 2 apples, cored and halved
* 1 tablespoon garlic powder
* salt and pepper to taste
* 2/3 bottle champagne [I use sparkling apple cider instead]
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Rinse turkey, and pat dry. Gently loosen turkey breast skin, and insert pieces of butter between the skin and breast. Place apples inside the turkey’s cavity. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place turkey in a roasting bag, and pour champagne over the inside and outside of the bird. Close bag, and place turkey in a roasting pan.
3. Bake turkey 3 to 3 1/2 hours in the preheated oven, or until the internal temperature is 180 degrees F (85 degrees C) when measured in the meatiest part of the thigh. Remove turkey from bag, and let stand for at least 20 minutes before carving.
I also cook two turkey breasts in crockpots so we have plenty of meat for sandwiches the next day:
Crockpot Turkey Breast
1 sm. to med. turkey breast
1 stick butter
Salt
Wash and pat dry turkey breast. Season lightly with salt. Place in crockpot with 1 stick of butter. Turn on low for 10-12 hours. Great to do overnight). Very moist!
Together with our favorite sides we enjoy this meal with much gratefulness to God our Savior!
2009 at 6:53 pm | by Nicole Whitacre
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Fun Stuff Friday Funnies
Rebecca sent us this story of one very embarrassing moment:
My sister, Esther, teaches swimming lessons and has got to know a lot of the kids and their parents in the community this way. When she meets them somewhere other than the pool, though, they often don’t recognize her because she’s not in a bathing suit with wet hair.
One afternoon she went to a grocery store to pick some stuff up for mum. It was really busy, and in one aisle she saw a woman whose kids she taught. Esther said hi, and smiled, but the woman obviously didn’t recognize her. Esther kept walking. She was at the end of the aisle when she heard a loud voice from behind call to her, “Oh! It’s YOU! I didn’t recognize you with your clothes on!”
We’ll be back on Monday for a fun Thanksgiving week!
Nicole for Kristin, Janelle and Mom
2009 at 7:03 am | by Nicole Whitacre
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Homemaking Holidays and Seasons Series Resource Recommendations
If our kids could share their favorite Christmas gift ideas, the list would look something like this:
Jesus Storybook Bible Deluxe Edition
This favorite of all our children now includes a three cd narration by David Suchet.
Fool Moon Rising
You already know how much we like this new book.
To Be Like Jesus
Few things so sweet as hearing your kids sing at the top of their lungs: “I want to be like Jesus!”
The Prince’s Poison Cup
and 
The Prince’s Poison Cup - Animatic DVD
Watch the trailer for this new book and companion dvd.
The Lightlings
and The Lightlings - Animatic DVD
Another video
The Squire and the Scroll
With a knight and a dragon, the boys are sure to love this one
Sir Bernard The Good Knight!
Tori listens to “Wittle Dog” almost every day
Practise being Godly
The cd includes the Aussie author reading and singing songs
How God Used A Snowdrift (Building on the Rock Series)
Andrew really enjoys this series
The Pilgrim’s Progress: From This World to That Which Is to Come
This new edition has color illustrations and edited text for ease of reading
2009 at 3:12 pm | by Kristin Chesemore
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Biblical Womanhood Spiritual Disciplines Homemaking Holidays and Seasons
The other day, my three boys tramped downstairs to the kitchen. They were arguing.
“He took my quarters!” my seven-year-old pointed to his brother.
“No, Mom, I brought these quarters home from Mom-Mom’s house!” the accused brother defended himself.
As I tried to get the story from them, one…at…a…time, the words of blame kept flowing, with frequent interruptions and scowls.
My temptation in these moments? I want to bring swift resolution through my commands and directives: “Boy #1 is wrong. Boy #2 is right. Case closed.” I want peace for myself more than I want to teach my children God’s Word. This temptation is especially acute over the holidays.
But my words—although very important!—are not sufficient. My children need to hear God’s Words. They need Scripture, which is “profitable for teaching, correcting, and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). They need God’s promises and commands sown like seed into their little hearts. They need the words from God’s mouth, which never return empty (Is. 55:11).
So we return to the most often quoted verse in the Chesemore home—Ephesians 4:29: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
“Is corrupting talk coming out of your mouths?” I ask my boys. “What words would give grace to your brother?”
And surprise, surprise—Scripture serves me too. I need the life-giving words of Scripture as much as my sons. I too need the encouragement and correction of Ephesians 4:29.
This is one reason why I must sit and listen to Jesus’ teaching every day. So that I—and my boys—can profit from His Words.
2009 at 2:30 pm | by Carolyn Mahaney
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Biblical Womanhood Spiritual Disciplines Homemaking Holidays and Seasons
What is this teaching we are to sit and listen to?
It is God’s Word, the Bible.
God’s Word is like no other book we read: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16
How do we profit from Scripture? God’s Word…
Gives us peace (Ps. 119:165).
Fills us with hope (Col. 1:5)
Strengthens our faith (Rom. 10:17)
Revives our soul (Ps. 19:7)
Provides us with wisdom (Pr. 1:1-7, Matt. 7:24-27)
Guides us (Ps. 119:105)
Warns us (Deut 32:46)
Corrects us (2 Tim 3:16)
Comforts us (Ps. 119:50)
Enable us to fight sin (Ps. 119:11)
Most importantly, God’s Word leads us to Christ. (Heb 1:1-2)
So why do we neglect to read, study, memorize, and meditate on this precious, life-giving book?
As John Piper comments on Ps. 19:7:, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul”:
“Even on days when every cinder in our soul feels cold, if we crawl to the Word of God and cry out for ears to hear, the cold ashes will be lifted and the tiny spark of life will be fanned. For ‘the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.’”
O may God help us to sit and listen to the Lord’s teaching!
2009 at 11:25 am | by Carolyn Mahaney
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Biblical Womanhood Spiritual Disciplines Homemaking Holidays and Seasons
“But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.’” Luke 10:41 (emphasis mine)
There are “many things” to do before next Thursday’s turkey dinner. (You may be scribbling a mental list in your head right now!) But the Savior’s wisdom can radically simplify our holiday. For, as he told Martha: “only one thing is necessary.”
What is this “one thing?” What are we to “sit and listen” to? Our Lord’s teaching.
There is nothing more important than hearing the Lord speak. It’s the one essential thing, the only thing that is necessary.
Mary understood. She longed to know Jesus, to learn all she could about Him. She wanted to hear everything He said. She didn’t want to miss one word that came out of His mouth. So she sat down right smack in front of the Lord so she could listen to His teaching.
Now Jesus wasn’t suggesting that Martha’s serving was wrong or even unimportant. I’m not suggesting we skip Thanksgiving dinner and encourage our family to “hit the pantry” instead.
Serving is important. Our Lord also taught us: “The greatest among you shall be your servant.”
But serving is not the most necessary thing.
There is only one thing that is truly necessary—listening to the Lord speak.
So as we head into the holidays, as we face the temptation to be distracted with much serving, or tempted about many things, let’s remind ourselves of Jesus’ words.
Should I be serving? There is one thing more necessary!
Should I be worrying? This is completely unnecessary!
There is only one thing that is necessary.
And what is that?
To sit and listen to the Lord’s teaching, that’s what!
2009 at 4:32 pm | by Nicole Whitacre
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Fun Stuff Friday Funnies Homemaking Recipes
A few days ago, I received the following email from our church administrator, Tim. (I think he meant to send it to the North Pole.)
Dear Santa,
I have been a pretty good boy this year. I know you’ve been watching, so you know how hard I’ve been trying. There’s really just one thing I want this year and then I promise I’ll be even better next year. Could you get Nicole Whitacre to bring those killer-to-die-for crab crackers to the Pastors’ Christmas Party again this year? You could deliver a couple of cases of the crab meat to her so she could bring a lot and so I won’t feel so guilty eating hundreds of them. Do you have her address? She lives in Virginia, which is just outside Washington DC. If you’re coming by sleigh, just turn left at Great Falls and head west. Well Santa, I guess I’ll go now. Thanks for listening. Please check your list because I’m pretty sure I’ve been good.
Timmie
P.S. Please let me know what jobs I can do for you.
The “killer-to-die-for crab crackers” recipe is from my friend (and fabulous cook), Jessica.
CRABBIES
1 stick butter
1 jar Kraft Old English Cheese Spread
1 T. Mayonnaise
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 T. onion flakes
6 oz. crab meat (fresh or canned)
6 English muffins
Separate English muffins into halves. Mix all other ingredients together. Spread the mixture on muffin halves. Broil until browned and bubbly. Cut into quarters (if so desired) and serve immediately. If frozen, bake at 375 degrees for fifteen minutes and broil one minute at end. Freezes well.
See you back here again on Monday,
Nicole for the girltalkers
2009 at 11:33 am | by Carolyn Mahaney
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Biblical Womanhood Spiritual Disciplines Homemaking Holidays and Seasons
“And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. but Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.” Luke 10:39-42
My other Martha Moment? I sit, but I don’t listen.
Martha had trouble sitting because she was distracted with much serving. But she also had trouble listening.
“Martha, Martha,” our Lord lovingly addressed her, “you are anxious and troubled about many things.”
We can’t listen if we are anxious and troubled about many things.
I’ve squandered my fair share of devotional times worrying rather than listening. I sit on the living room couch with my Bible, journal, reading plan, books, and coffee, but I fail to listen.
I rehearse a difficult conversation from the night before: What could I have said? What should I have said? What will I say next time we talk?
Or I consider the day ahead: What time is Chad’s soccer game? Oh, I almost forgot I’m babysitting Kristin’s boys. And I need to get C.J.’s shirts from the cleaners before he goes out of town….
Or I notice an empty corner in the living room and begin to redecorate in my mind: If we move this chair to that corner and purchase a small table and lamp to go over here…
All the while, my Bible is open on my lap.
But I’m not listening.
I might even read my Bible, but because I am distracted, I have no idea what I just read.
I’m still not listening
Do you have your own “Martha Moments?” Do you find it hard to sit? Do you find it difficult to listen?
God knew Martha was anxious and troubled. He knows when we are anxious and troubled. He lovingly spoke to Martha; and through her story He lovingly speaks to us today: “only one thing is necessary.”
More on this “one thing” next week.
2009 at 3:16 pm | by Carolyn Mahaney
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Biblical Womanhood Spiritual Disciplines Homemaking Holidays and Seasons
“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. but Martha was distracted with much serving.” Luke 10:38-40
Sitting is hard work. As women, we are doers by nature, not sitters. How can we sit when there is so “much serving” to do? Then the holidays hit. And we thought sitting was hard before.
After thirty five years of loving, reading, studying and meditating on God’s Word, I still have my Martha Moments: I am tempted to serve rather than sit.
Sadly, it doesn’t take much to distract me. It can be as simple as a breakfast bar wrapper.
I’ll be in the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee to have with my devotions when….
I notice the breakfast bar wrapper on the kitchen table that my son neglected to throw away the night before.
I throw it away and discover that the trashcan is full.
I take the trashcan to the garage to empty.
When I return the emptied trashcan to the kitchen, I discover that we are out of trash bags.
I go to the basement to get new trash bags only to remember the load of laundry in the dryer that I forgot to fold.
As I fold the laundry I realize I need to iron Chad’s school uniform for school that day.
Which reminds of the note I need to write to his teacher.
As I’m jotting a note, I hear CJ on the treadmill.
“I should hop in the shower now, because he’s going to need get in the shower as soon as he finishes exercising.”
By the time I get out of the shower it’s time to wake Chad for school and make his breakfast and pack his lunch…
Poof! Gone is that precious time to sit at the Lord’s feet.
But that’s not my only Martha Moment. I’ll share another one tomorrow.
