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Current Reads – July 2020

Years ago – in a former child-free existence – my husband and I had a book blog. We tended it faithfully for a time and then kids happened. We continued to read but writing about our reads simply disappeared. I miss it.

In our book blog, I had a place to put my thoughts about books. I had a place to simply document the reading of words.

So, I thought I would remedy this by noting my current reads here on the blog. I assume sometimes the reviews will get long, as they did on the original book blog. But at least I will have a space to document the reading of words.

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Nest Building

Awana Leader Thank You Gift

Our kids have been in Awana for since our oldest was a Cubbie! And now we have the distinction of having one kid in each of the youngest levels of Awana. We have a Puggle, a Cubbie, a Spark, and a TNT!! All the leaders for the Awana program we go to demonstrate a dedication and love for these kids and the Lord every week.  We are so thankful for them!

A few years ago we put together some sweet Awana leader Christmas gifts. I got to thinking about them the other day (because it is that time of year) and I looked back at this blog post and updated it. Here it is with recipe and printable gift bag toppers.

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Nest Building

Simple Meal Planning Solution (that Works)!

For the first seven years of our marriage, I cooked through cookbooks. I rarely ever cooked the same thing twice. If it was a big hit meal, I might have made it 3 times. I simply loved trying something new every time I cooked.

It can be tempting to look back on those early years of marriage and cooking and think I really set myself up for failure. The standard I set for myself in the kitchen was onerous. But I like to think of it as a season that was special. The season may have changed, but the things I learned in that process made me the cook and homemaker I am today.

A friend of mine came up to me at church last week and asked, “I was wondering – now that you have four kids, do you still cook something new each time you cook?” I kind of laughed and said, “Those days are long gone.”

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Nest Building

Ultimate Homemaking Bundle 2019 – your guide

I am not sure who came up with the idea to bundle together resources from the internet and sell them in one big bundle. But, honestly, she is a GENIUS!! I am a sucker for a good bundle. Been purchasing them for years and years. Each bundle I have purchased has always been so large to be overwhelming. How does one even begin to utilize all the resources?

Well, that is the beauty of the bundle. You can take what you want, what you will use; and leave the rest. But the resources are AVAILABLE for use. Attaching a crazy-good price to it is all the motivation I need to purchase, dive in, and pull out the resources that I need.

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Nest Building

Simple Menu Planning – Overcoming Obstacles

Getting dinner on the table at the end of the day is a STRUGGLE! As a busy mom, homemaker, and homeschool teacher it is one of the hardest tasks I do all day. I already shared my motivators to get me in the kitchen to cook dinner again. But even with all that motivation. Overcoming obstacles along the way to dinner can still be HARD!

Today, I am sharing the real-deal problems I have with preparing dinner and how I am currently solving them. I hope you will find some encouragement in these words and solutions.

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Nest Building

Simple Menu Planning for Busy Moms

If you asked me my number one homemaking problem, I would immediately tell you: MEAL PLANNING! Which is kind of humorous because I used to really rock my kitchen game. I used to be a great cook (I can say it now that it is no longer true). I used to plan meals for an entire month and rarely repeated the same meal twice! For seven years, I was a kitchen rock star.

And then kids entered the picture around here. Lots of them. And as they multiplied, my menu planning woes multiplied, too! I have never really gotten my rock star status back. But, I am resolving (once again) to be better about getting my game back! Over the next few days, I will be sharing the steps I am taking to menu plan, follow through, and simply stated: feed my family!!

Today, I am starting at square one: motivation. The things that make me want to get in the kitchen and the things that will hopefully hold me in good stead as I resolve to get dinner on the table regularly. As you are reading along, I hope it will give you encouragement to find your motivation for menu planning.

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