Preparing for Sunday & Easy Make Ahead Breakfast!

Greetings from our lil' farm! It's been a wet week here, so I've had to catch snippets of time to work in the gardens. During rainy spells we've done a bit of organizing that inevitably needs to be done after living in a new home four months. We did a massive downsizing when we moved from our 100+ acre farm with its' 3,000 square foot home and shop. This week we downsized again in our pantry/laundry room. It feels soooo freeing now that I have just what I need in there! 

We've begun our new summer schedule, and Chairty Rose (12) is my "right hand gal"

during a two hour work time each morning. Today we're making our two month supply of granola. We usually focus more outside during this season, but with all the rain I reasoned it would be wise to plan inside jobs for during the daily showers. 

We incorporate the gardens and daily work into our "summer school".  Levi (14) will earn a half credit in Agricultural Science, while reading living books according to an ancient history timeline to finish his credit in history. Charity writes in her garden journal daily, and I make games to help review this past year's school work .  We call our way of  life a lifestyle of learning. We've been on this home schooling journey as a family since around 1986, and now I even have grandchildren that are being home schooled! What a blessing to pass on that legacy! (Forgive the "Gramma moment"!)

On topic this week I pray I can pass on a little of what the Lord has taught me over the years to make Sunday special for your families. Many years ago I  read an article in a Christian newsletter on making Sundays special. I can't really remember what the author said in the article, but like with my blog, I pray you walk away with what the Lord would have you do with the challenge given! 

                         The Steve Colvin Family 2001

That article changed the way I planned my week, and helped me to prepare to worship despite how our Sunday morning went! You see,  I was like you, and had little ones (5 and under ) for 31 years and nursed for 33 years. I remember changing children's clothes a couple of times before we got out the door, my milk coming down and wetting my blouse so I had to change, breakfast dishes piled by the sink to come home to,  missing shoes at the last moment, and children fussing about where they wanted to sit in the van. Most weeks it was a challenge for me to settle my heart into worship once we got to church even on good days because of all the hustle and bustle!! My struggles may not be yours, but if you hear a hint of what you deal with, be encouraged as this is life with young children. There is good news though! You can come up with strategic ways to help you eliminate/lessen your Sunday challenges to make it a special day for your family!

My first challenge was to find out what God would have us to do. There are so many lessons He tucks inside our challenges as mothers! "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Matthew 7:7,8. This was an opportunity to learn to ask, seek, and find! This is how my faith in Him grew over the years.

One other lesson took me quite a while to iron out...not just asking the Lord for wisdom, but asking my dear husband. Sometimes I thought of a solution to some problem we were having and would run with it. Later I would find out his wisdom would have saved me frustration or heartache. Learn a lesson from me the easy way,  talk with your husband before implementing any changes in your home.

Steve and I celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary this

                                       past week!

I'd encourage you to make of list of things that snag your family on Sunday mornings. For our large and growing family clothing was a major task that needed some contemplation.  I needed to find a way to make choosing and preparing our wardrobes so that getting ready on Sunday morning was a "non-issue".  

 

Our oldest son graduated from our home school in the picture from 2002.

Here I'm pregnant with our 11th child.

Simplicity had to be key to my method, so all the boys (I have 8) wore the same thing. In

the winter they wore navy slacks and a white oxford button down shirt.  In the summer we switched to kakhi slacks with a white short sleeved oxford shirt. To make things easier!  I made suspenders for the little boys that would grow with them and help keep their shirts tucked in.  It became a special "right of passage" to turn 13 and wear a belt! 

 On Wednesday nights they'd wear baby blue oxford shirts with their slacks. So, when I went thrift store shopping for church clothes I saved a lot of time by only having to look for two colors of pants, and two colors of  dress shirts.  I could buy these in any size knowing they'd be used eventually. I'd also look at clearance priced shirts that came in all sizes. We had a blue plaid seersucker shirt in several sizes that the boys wore to town with their overalls for years. 

We started our CSA in Dayton in 2003, and this was our first share being picked up. 

The boys are wearing their "going to town clothes".

 Things changed when my boys grew to be young men; they began to express a desire to wear plaid or stripped shirts. We found it was cheaper to shop at an outlet mall to purchase their shirts at reduced prices at the end of the season. That's also where we could get slacks with 36-38 inch inseams we needed! 

I am blessed with five daughters too, and the issue of clothes was even more complex weekly for them! I was tired of keeping up with sashes, several colors of tights that

This was a simple going to town dress.

matched the frilly dresses, and the hair accessories!  We began by making everyone a really nice matching dresses or jumpers. For years this worked splendidly! Then my oldest discovered clothes! :) So we eventually made a few jumpers that were dubbed,  "Sunday jumpers" and were set apart just for church. We also made more casual ones that were "going to town" clothes.  Since there was a distinction between their uses, I rarely had to say, "Go change into a Sunday jumper."  as it was just known what we should wear.   Since we sewed all of our clothes, making a couple Sunday outfits and a few casual outfits helped narrow their focus. (And the girls learned to sew!)

You may not be a sewer, but you can narrow your children's choices so they know without a doubt what    is acceptable to wear to church. This will also help you as you oversee the laundry, making sure the outfits are promptly put back into the closets clean and "ironed". 

That brings me to my next step to make Sunday more peaceable. NOTHING was put in the closet unironed! I was tired of spending Saturday night ironing, just to find that I had forgotten someone's shirt! If everything in our closets is neat and ready to be worn we could leave for town, church, or appointments at a moment's notice without any last minute scrambling. I was DELIGHTED when my girls could help with this job as they all know I dislike ironing! I still had to do it, but the volume of clothes needed ironing became much smaller...especially when we taught the teenage boys to iron their own clothes!  

Nowadays I RARELY iron! My life changed when I found a "wrinkle release" in the store one day last fall and discovered it worked wonders!!!!!!!!!! What was even better was that I found a DIY recipe for the expensive spray, and now I can mix up a batch in under a minute! 

                                     DIY WRINKLE RELEASE

• 1 teaspoon cream rinse (yes, what you put on your hair in the shower!!)
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 2 cups warm water

Mix all three ingredients in a bowl with a wisk, or put it straight into a spray bottle and shake. You will only need to shake it for about a minute; then it will stay mixed. I used a permanant marker to write the recipe right on the bottle so I don't have to hunt for the recipe each time. 

 Hang your clothes on a hanger or lay flat on your washer. Spray. Then tug the material slightly and smooth out wrinkles with the palm of your hand. Hang to dry before putting them into your closet. If your item has a troubled spot that stays curled like hems or pockets, spray that area heavily. stretch the hem or finger press the collar into shape.  IT'S THAT EASY!! I've not ironed anything since we moved! 

Another troubled area I looked at that needed refining so I could have a more restful day was our food. I'll focus on your noonday dinner here, but breakfast can be the same 

weekly too so planning is easier. (We had a daughter make a breakfast casserole each Saturday and ready to pop in the oven when she got up Sunday.) 

Sundays in my mind always included the big Sunday dinner I grew up with. I eventually learned that a meal with meat was really fast food as it could cook slowly in a crock pot or a slow oven while I was away at church. To me it was/is a little miracle to season a roast or whole chicken and pop them into a crockpot or an oven set to 275 degrees, and also put rice in our rice cooker.  When we got home from church four hours later we were greeted with the pleasing aroma of a meal cooked and waiting for us!  This one practice hasn't changed much over the past 39 years. Today I use an Instant Pot, my crockpot, or even my oven to make our meal while we're away! 

 

We loved to make meals of all our own farm's products. We raised pastured chickens and grew our own produce. This summer Sunday dinner baked while we were away at church.

Sunday Dinner

 

1 Roast,  rinsed or 1 Chicken, rinsed, patted dry and rubbed with olive oil

Season Salt

Garlic Powder

• If you are roasting your meat in the oven, line your roasting pan with parchment paper if you can.
• Run your meat under running water to rinse it off.
• Plop your meat into your crockpot or roasting pan.
• Rub a bit of oil on your chicken. Roasts don't need it.
• Sprinkle Season Salt and Garlic Powder heavily on your meat, turning it to coat evenly.
• Place your meat in an oven set to 275 degrees, or a crockpot to the desired setting. (It all depends on how long you'll be gone to church.)
• If you have room you can put scrubbed potatoes, carrots and onions in to cook slowly with your meat!

A rice cooker or an Instant Pot with a rice setting is a worthy investment in my eyes. Every week we'd fill our rice cooker to the maximum capacity to fill hungry bellies when  we needed to stretch the meat! Nowadays I often just serve 2 vegetables and a salad instead of adding a starch to our meals. Now brown rice is a treat!

A major change came when we decided that we'd limit our Saturday night outtings. Instead we chose to stay home, get everyone bathed and have a "normal" evening. This one little change helped everyone get a good night sleep and eliminated cranky, overtired children! 

To help the children learn to sit still and quiet in church we began to train in that area too. Home schooling really helped as we began to practice sitting quietly during our morning read aloud time. My husband built the little ones their own stool to sit on at my feet while the older children sat on chairs or indian style on the floor. We read, practiced Bible verses and sang while unbeknownst to them they were practicing sitting still for church. Attitude was key here for me as well as for the children. 

By now people were thinking us a bit oddd Some even thought we were Amish as we dressed a bit differently, had a long line of towhead boys and girls following me, as we lived a simplified life.  (Nothing is really simple with a large family!) But all these practices helped us function more peaceably and opened many conversations with strangers on how the Lord had changed our lives! 

Many ladies told me to enjoy my older children as babies as "this time would pass all too quickly". I did enjoy them, and yes time flew by, but I felt I spent too much time out of services with my babies.  I didn't submit to this part of my calling easily. I often grumbled in my mind as I took my nursing baby out when they became hungry. So a lesson I learned was to submit to any lesson the Lord would have for me...whether it's leaving a service to nurse, taking a child out to train, or even staying at home with a sick child. If I had learned this lesson earlier,  I would have had such joy knowing I was right where the Lord wanted me to be. I learned to listen intently while I was in the service for a nugget of truth the Lord had for me. He was always faithful to feed me once I stopped fretting. If you too struggle with sitting in the nursery weekly,  learn from my struggle, for God has you where He can feed you and use you! I was able to talk with several women weekly that needed a word of encouragement or wisdom the Lord had given me in a particular area. You are not alone there nursing, you are serving the Lord!

There are many other areas I could mention, but the biggest change in the peace of our family on Sunday mornings came when we all worked together towards a goal of a peaceful day of rest. Olders buddied up with the little ones to make our day smoother, and  we set aside our afternoon just for that...REST.  Littles napped while olders read...and us Oldest napped too! :) We've always gone to an evening service too, so this was vital to having a restful  Sunday. We all looked forward to that time of rest, especially when we farmed full-time. 

Today with only three children at home things run very similar to when we had a houseful. One newest change I've made to help me is to set the table Saturday night with all the place settings we'll need for Sunday. For me that is two dinner plates, one water glass, two forks, two spoons, one knife. I serve water with most meals, so after breakfast we simply pick up the plate and silverware we used and refold our napkin and place it under the knife and spoon. No one has to set the table 3 times, and when we wake up we are prepared for an easy breakfast. Granola and homemade yogurt is my go-to easy meal for Sunday's breakfast. 

I make granola once every 2 months or so. It's a staple for my husband's midnight snack, granola bar breakfasts, toppings for yogurt sundaes, and more.  Below you'll find my OLD, OLD, OLD recipe that I learned to multiply. I now make over a 100 cup batch! It keeps real well in two 5-gallon buckets for storage. I have a Tupperware container that I keep on hand in the pantry for quick access. It is well worth the investment of time, and it's a great recipe to teach a child to make with you. Charity (12) has been helping me with this for a few years now. This week she and I mixed up two large bus tubs of the mix and she ran the pans through the oven on her own! 

This picture of raw granola is ready for the oven!

                                                          

Val's Granola

10 C. Rolled Oatmeal

10 C. Rolled 7-Grain (I didn't have this on hand this week, so I used more rolled oats.)

3 C. Coconut (I use unsweetened)

1 C. Raw Sunflower seeds

1 C. Raw Pumpkin seeds

1 C. Flax seeds

2 C. Coconut Oil

2 C. Honey, Sourghum Molasses or even Maple Syrup

Optional add-ins: Any kind of nut, Sesame seeds, or after baking you can add dry fruit

In a large saucepan warm the oil and sweetner.  While this is heating up, combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix well. We use our clean hands to mix at this point. When tiny bubbles begin to rise from the bottom of the pan (like the picture above), quickly pour it over the oat mixture. Using a large spoon, stir until completely coated. If your mixture looks a bit wet, add in more rolled oats until the oat mixture is just thinly coated with the sweet mixture. 

 

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment. (This is a time that you really would like parchment as it protects it from over browning.) Pour a layer of your granola onto the pan. Do not over fill as you'll be stirring it during the baking process. Bake at 350 degrees,  stirring every 5-7 minutes. I like it golden brown without dampness at about 20-25 minutes. 

Pour baked granola into a large bowl and let cool completely

I tried once again to bake two cookie sheets of 
granola at a time. It always burns!

before storing. I cover it with a towel and usually let my LARGE batch cool overnight. Store in an airtight container. This lasts for months. If anyone would like the bulk version of this recipe, just ask in the comment section below. I buy our oats in 50 pound bags, so this is easily done with storage grains. 

One of satan's tools for dividing a family is to create discord. As you look at the areas of your home that rob you of a worshipful spirit on Sunday (or any day for that matter) seek wisdom on how to turn that frustration into a blessing! 

A peek at my week on our lil' farm:

I picked our first large bowl of spinach this week! Now I can make Aunt Glen's spinach salad! If you'd like to make this too, search this blog for spinach recipes. 

Our gardens got daily watering and mild temperatures, so the peas have shot up two more support strings!

I love spinach, so we'll be planting a much bigger patch this fall, but for fresh eating, these partial squares are lush and beautiful!

Prayerfully we're done with store bought lettuce mix! I now understand why our customers LOVE our fresh produce! I am so spoiled to fresh, naturally grown, quality produce!

Our snap peas are climbing high, and I'm looking for my first bloom that should appear shortly! Don't tell anyone that I've been nibbling on the fresh shoots!

I snuck some weeding in between showers this week. These maple trees are weeds to me!

Did you know you can use radish for just about anything you can use a potato for? I'm looking forward to roasting them, boiling them, hiding them in casseroles and of course eating them fresh! (I even can them to add to our stew in the winter.)  I pulled one to see how big they were and gave it to Charity (12) who loves radishes. She quickly ate it alllll....even the tops with Ranch dressing! 

She has her own planted in her lil' 4 X 4' garden, so mine are safe for the moment!

I'll be cutting our first salad mixes this week, and these squares have a great mixture of greens to add to my lettuce and spinach.

We ran out of our elderberry glycerite last week, so I made four more pints. If you are interested in how I did this, just ask for directions in the comment section below. This has been one way I've bolstered my family's immune system during the pandemic. 

Our Memorial Day cookout was canceled because of the usual evening showers we've been getting. We snuck out between showers to toast some marshmallows though!

                Does anyone else's dog like marshmallows?

Luke (16)

                                    

                                           Levi (14)

Steve and I enjoyed a day away alone together for our anniversary. He got me picket fencing to go behind my new flower garden! (I've always dreamed of picket fencing!)

"I bought" him a new table saw so he can build our kitchen cabinets. His old saw was over 30 years old and we couldn't order parts for it anymore. 

Steve's been clearing trees and limbs from around our pond. Now the pond will be healthier and I'll be able to keep an eye on the children better!

What are your "hot spots" that put your family in a dither getting ready for church? What do you do to prepare your family for a day of rest? I'd love to hear about it in the comment section below. "As iron sharpeneth iron" we can help each other serve the Lord in our homes!

Abundant Blessings!

The Farmer's Wife,

Val Colvin