My family and I have been blessed with a lot of visitors in our home recently, and I have been thinking about hospitality.  Before there were thousands of hotels and restaurants, travellers had to rely on the hospitality of others, including friends and strangers, to help them along.  Even today, staying in hotels and eating in restaurants is quite expensive, so it is wonderful when we have people with whom we can stay when we are away from home.  Even on a smaller scale, it is good to have people into our homes just for meals and some visiting time.

I think of Abraham in Genesis 18, when he showed hospitality to the 3 strangers who came to him.  He provided water for them to wash their feet, showed them a shady place to rest, and told them he would “bring a morsel of bread” for them.  Then he told Sarah to make cakes of meal (one for each man), and he went and killed a calf and prepared it.  He served the men meat, bread, butter, and milk.  Did you notice that–he killed a calf for them!  That is some morsel, I would say.  Of course, we read on to find out that these “men” were from God Himself, and came with a very important  message for Abraham.  But he did not know that when they first came.  Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing, some have unwittingly entertained angels.”

I also like the example of the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4.  The prophet Elisha often passed through Shunem, and would stop and eat with this woman and her husband.  She suggested to her husband that they build a room with a bed, a chair, a table, and a lamp for Elisha to stay in when he passed through.  They built the room, and Elisha stayed there.  Did you notice that–they built a room for Elisha!  In both of these examples, the hosts took care of the needs of the guests–personal care, comfort and rest, and food.

We need to be willing to share our homes.  We need to be generous to others, whether we have a lot or a little to share.  We need to give the best we can to those who stay or visit with us.  I have stayed in and eaten in many homes with many wonderful people who sacrificed time and money to make me comfortable.  Those visits and those generous people have made lasting impressions on me.  I want to do the same for those who come to my home.

I’m still working on being the kind of hostess I want to be, but I have learned many things from my mother and grandmother, and from many other wonderful women who are great homemakers and great hostesses.  In the next couple of posts, I’m going to share some tips about cooking for company and about having guests staying in your home.  May we all remember the importance and the blessings of showing hospitality.

OK, so I have a blog called “More Muffins, Please!” and I have yet to give you a muffin recipe!  Here is the recipe that Jacob and I used recently, which is a “copycat” recipe from the Peabody Hotel in Memphis.  I have been in the Peabody Hotel (I have a t-shirt) but I did not eat there, so I can not vouch for the authenticity of this recipe!  But I can tell you that we really like these muffins!  I got this recipe from an email list, but it can also be found at cdkitchen.

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 cup butter

1 Tablespoon vanilla

Beat sugar and eggs together.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Bake in greased or lined muffin tins at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

I added fruit to mine (1 1/2 to 2 cups), and cut back a little on the vanilla.  I rarely use a recipe exactly as written!

This makes a lot of muffins.  We made some mini muffins, which the kids really like.  These are great for breakfast and snacks, and they travel well if you just put them in a plastic container with a lid (though they do get a little sticky with an air-tight lid).

Here are a just a few general tips for making muffins:

1. Mix only until ingredients are combined–overmixing will cause a tougher texture and tunnels.  The batter will look lumpy, but that’s OK!  You can sift the flour before adding it to prevent having flour lumps in your finished product.

2. Fill any empty sections of the muffin pan about halfway with water.  This will help the muffins bake more evenly, and keep your pan from warping.

3. Use paper liners for easy pan clean-up.

Enjoy some muffin time soon!

Playskool has voluntarily recalled the “Team Talkin’ Tool Bench” after 2 children suffocated from getting the large toy plastic nails lodged in their throats.  Details about the product and the recall can be found at the CPSC website and the Playskool website.  One interesting thing about this recall is that the product is intended for children 3 and over, and both the children who died were under 3.  It is truly tragic that these children died, and I can’t imagine how I would feel if that happened to my child, but it does not seem that we should blame Playskool for these deaths if the toy was labeled correctly.

I also know, however, that it is very common for kids under 3 to play with toys that are not really intended for them.  In fact, my 3 year old son has a tool bench–not the same one that is being recalled, but one that has similar large plastic toy nails.  He has quite a few toys that have small parts and are not for younger kids, but his little sister (age 1) ends up playing with these toys, too.  When I read about this recall, it reminded me that I need to be even more diligent about watching her and making sure she doesn’t put the wrong things in her mouth.  It is hard sometimes to find a balance between being vigilant and being overly protective.  One thing that helps me is that Jacob will often come tell me if Skylar gets something she should not have or puts something in her mouth.  Older siblings can be helpful in that way, but if you have only one small child, try to make sure that the toys he or she has are really age appropriate and safe.  If someone gives your child a toy that you don’t think is safe for him or her yet, just put it up and save it for a later time.  Your child’s safety has to be your primary concern!  We need to take safety warnings seriously, and supervise our children when they are playing.  When I am working in the kitchen, I like to bring toys in there and let the kids play where I can see them.  I also learned quickly that as long as I can hear my kids, they are usually fine.  If they get really quiet, I go and check on them!  If you can hear them talking, laughing, and playing with different toys, then they probably aren’t choking or hurt.  Jacob also has marbles and coins that he likes to play with.  We only get those things down on the floor when Skylar is in her bed or in her highchair, and we make sure we get them all picked up before she gets back on the floor.

We don’t need to overreact to tragedies like these, but we can be reminded to keep watchful eyes on our children.  Read instructions and safety guidelines, give your kids toys appropriate for their ages and maturity levels, and supervise your kids.  May we all play happily and safely!

I made laundry detergent today.  When I got out the grater and the bar of soap, my husband looked at me and asked, “What are you doing?”  My son literally pulled up a chair and watched, as if me grating soap was the most interesting thing he had ever seen.  I have seen recipes on websites such as The Frugal Shopper, and there has been some discussion about in on a Yahoo group that I joined.  So, I decided to try it!  I made the powdered version with these ingredients:  one bar of Ivory soap, grated; 1/2 cup Borax; and 1/2 cup Washing Soda (Arm & Hammer).  Not all stores carry the washing soda, but I found it at Kroger on the laundry detergent aisle (note that this is washing soda, not baking soda).  Mix it all together and use about 1 tablespoon per load.  Yes, just one tablespoon!  By my rough calculations, this batch costs 3 cents per load.  Now this cost will obviously vary based on how much the ingredients cost you.  I washed 2 loads with it this afternoon, and was pleased with the results.  It does not suds up like commercially made detergents do, but it gets the dirt out!  There are variations of this recipe, including liquid versions.  I just thought that the powder would be easier, and it dissolved just fine in the water.  I am happy with it, and thought I would share it with you!  There is also a recipe for homemade dishwasher detergent that I’m going to try when I run out of what I have now–I’ll let you know what happens!

I often see articles and comments in magazines about “me time.”  The idea is that people (usually moms in particular) need to make time for themselves, to do things that they enjoy.  The message generally is that if you want to be a good mom, you have to get away from your kids for a while every week, or maybe even every day, and do what you want to do.  I have heard people complain about not having enough “me time.”  Now, I agree that it is good for parents to “get away” occasionally, and every parent certainly needs rest and relaxation in order to keep up with everything they have to do.  Every person, in fact, needs time off and breaks from daily routines and responsibilities.  But it seems to me that this focus on “me time” is really the opposite of what our lives should be about.  Time is a commodity.  It is valuable in many ways.  It is also a blessing from God, and should be treated as such.  If I have the right attitude about my purpose in life, and if I am truly unselfish, I will realize that my time is what I use to serve others, thereby serving God.  As a wife and mother of 2 children, it is of utmost importance for me to serve my family and devote my time to them.  If you aren’t prepared to give up your time for your family, then you better not become a parent!

My time is used in many ways.  Sometimes it is spent reading books—not usually the mystery novels that I enjoy, but books about Henry and Mudge, Curious George, Clifford…you get the idea.  Sometimes it is spent washing dishes, cleaning bathrooms, sweeping floors, doing laundry, and picking up toys.  Sometimes it is spent giving hugs and kisses.  Sometimes it is spent playing ball, playing hide and seek, and digging in the mud.  Sometimes it is spent proofreading my husband’s work, preparing for teaching Bible classes, making communion bread, and cleaning the church building.  Sometimes it is spent teaching my kids about the Bible, ABC’s, shapes, numbers, and colors.  Sometimes it is spent getting up in the middle of the night to see why one of my kids is crying.  I suppose I could keep that list going for the rest of the night!  How much of that would be considered by popular magazine editors to be “me time”?  Well, I do get a shower without interruption about once a week (I take more showers than that—I said without interruption!), and my husband gets up with the kids once in a while so I can sleep in!

It is good to get your rest, to have a hobby you enjoy, and for husbands and wives to spend some time together.  But is my time really mine?  Am I supposed to use it for my own pleasure and fulfillment?  The interesting thing that I find is this: I am using my time for my pleasure and fulfillment!  I enjoy being with my family and doing things for them, and I am fulfilled by doing what I should be doing!  Yes, I am stressed at times, and tired at times, and feel like running to a hiding place sometimes.  But I have no regrets, no resentment toward those who demand my time.  I happily give it to them, knowing that my parents and others have selflessly given so much of their time to me.  I don’t want to miss the brief time that my kids are small because I am out “fulfilling myself” and getting in some “me time.”  I wouldn’t trade the slobbery kisses and the big grins for any amount of time, even if I do have to take the diaper changes and spilled chocolate milk along with them.  Maybe we should focus more on what we can do for others and on enjoying what we have instead of wishing for more “me time.”  Use your time wisely, give it selflessly, spend it happily, and all of your time will become “me time”!

 

One of the things I plan to do is post about some product recalls that might be helpful.  I found that a Leap Frog toy called the Learn-Around Playground Activity Center is being recalled because some small kids have gotten their arms stuck in the plastic tube.  You can see the details of the recall and a picture of the toy at the U.S. Product Safety Commission.  According to what I found at http://www.leapfrog.com/, Leap Frog will send you a “tube topper cap” to fix the problem.  We don’t have this toy, but if you do you might want to give them a call.

There are a lot of neat toys out there–and we love Leap Frog stuff–but I guess it is impossible to foresee every problem that might occur with every toy.  My 13-month old daughter was playing in the kitchen today with some plastic funnels and got her finger stuck in one of them!  I knew she had the funnels, but didn’t think about her having that problem.  I was able to get it out with no trouble, but she was not very happy about her finger being stuck in there! 

My 3 year old son and I recently made a huge batch of muffins.  He loves to help me cook!  He helped with as much as he could, from choosing the fruit to putting the batter in the muffin pans.  Granted, there were a few more drips of batter than there would have been if I had done it myself, but we had fun!  We divided the batter and made three different kinds of muffins–blueberry, cherry, and jam in the middle.  We also used two different sized pans–mini and regular.  They turned out great, and eating them was as much fun as making them!  As I looked at the stack of muffin pans that were waiting to be washed, I thought about how this one activity represents so many aspects of our family life…working together, creativity, learning by doing, trying new things, sharing, and good homemade food.  And so, I came up with the name for this blog!  I hope that we have many more days like that muffin day, full of fun family togetherness.

I am a wife and a mom, always trying to be better at my job!  Finding humor in difficult times, giving encouragement to my husband and children, managing finances, cleaning and organizing our home, shopping, saving money, cooking, teaching my children, being hospitable, and of course growing as a Christian.  I am hoping that in my quest for ways to be a better person and a better homemaker, perhaps I can share some thoughts, ideas, and tips that will help you, too.  So add this blog to your favorites list, and come back often!