I desire to have a natural, un-medicated birth for our son. We also hope to give birth in a birthing tub full of luxurious water. Since water birth is something that’s not talked about often (at least not in our circle of family and friends), we thought we’d share our reasons on why we desire …
Persevering Through Trials By God’s Grace
Suffering… Tears… Overwhelmed… Defeated… Pain…. Exhaustion… Hopelessness… Anger… Bitterness… Failure… These are emotions and circumstances that we all walk through at some point in our lives, even our Christian lives. Frequently, these emotions and thoughts of despair will convince us that all we need is to go back to sleep and wake up again. Surely, …
How to Fight a Cold Naturally
Mark and I have been very careful this cold and flu season. However, in the past couple weeks, Mark and I have both let our guards down. Consequently, we’ve both now suffered from congestion, stuffy noses, sore throats, and down right miserableness (is that a word?!?). As much as possible, we both try to stay …
Recipe: Cottage Pie vs. Shepherd’s Pie
I’m constantly on the lookout for really easy meals that are still nourishing. It’s an added bonus if it can all be piled into one pan and stuck in the oven. Insert cottage/shepherd’s pie. Talk about a happy woman! Now, before we get too far, I want to point out that while I was looking …
Book Review: Spiritual Disciplines
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney is one of the first books that I received as a new Christian. If you could see my copy, you would think that I must have had it for decades. The binding is coming apart. It has so many mark-ups you wonder why I even marked the …
7 Steps for Beating Self Sufficiency When Everything On Your Plate Seems Like Top Priority
It doesn’t take long after we wake up for thoughts to begin flooding our minds. Sometimes we can’t get a word in edge-wise with our thoughts can we? The dog needs walked. The kids need fed. The husband’s lunch needs packed. The laundry needs to be started. I forgot to pay that bill…again. My boss …
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Final Eat From the Pantry Challenge
Last month, we did the Eat From the Pantry Challenge. What a great challenge! We put a pretty good dent in our pantry/freezer/fridge. We didn’t save a lot of money, but the pantry challenge was not a total bust. It was soooo refreshing really. Since I was only buying fresh produce and staples, I really learned …
Batch Cooking Plan
I don’t know about you, but snow’s still coming down pretty steady outside my window. So steady, in fact, that my church actually cancelled services for tomorrow. I was so surprised, but thankful as well. Not only is church cancelled for tomorrow, but Mark is supposed to fly out at 7:30 am for the sunny …
Menu Plan Monday & Pantry Challenge Update
I can’t believe we’re already entering the last week of January. This month has flown by! This past week, we had a lot of fun with the pantry challenge. I resolved last night that I may need to stay committed to this through February in some regards. We have SOOOO much food still. Here was …
Menu Plan Monday: 1/18 – 1/24
Welcome to another week! I can’t believe it’s the next to last week in January already. This month is just flying by. Mark and I have a pretty busy week this week, which makes menu planning essential for us. Here is what we’ve got on the schedule for the week. Monday: • Breakfast – Oatmeal …
Eat From the Pantry Update
Another week has gone by for the pantry challenge! I can’t believe how challenging this week was. We are so spoiled in the Dutton house. It took a lot of discipline this week to eat the things that “we don’t prefer.” However, I am happy to report that we did not make a single trip to the …
Eat from the Pantry Update & Menu Plan Monday
Earlier this week, I posted that we were taking part in the Eat From the Pantry Challenge. So far, I’m really enjoying doing this. I had a pretty well stocked pantry as you can see in the above picture; so I believe I’ll be able to make it through the month. Unfortunately, I’ve got A …