Homemaking Resource

Raising Homemakers is a new site dedicated to teaching homemaking to future generations.

RaisingHomemakers.com was born out of a desire grow, learn, and be encouraged by women who were living out Titus 2 and who were managing their homes well for the glory of God.

I am a “young” mom of three small babes, and always wanted to stay home and raise them up…but I had no idea how hard it would be! I was never taught any homemaking arts, and to this day my husband is just fine with having cereal for dinner {ahem}. However, I want to be a woman who perseveres through the “tough” so that I can not only look back knowing I was intentional with my family, but I am able to teach and train my daughters in the skills necessary for running a household!

If you desire to learn for your self or you desire to teach your daughter(s) the lost arts of homemaking - check out their site.

Blessings,
Kim

Brown Sugar Oatmeal Banana Pancakes

Lately it is unusual for bananas to reach the over-ripe stage in our house. I don't really like it when all the bananas get eaten because I love banana bread/muffins. Yummy, especially with cream cheese! This morning however, there were 5 very ripe bananas sitting on the counter so what to make?

I have discovered that in addition to banana bread/muffins my family (the kids especially) enjoy banana pancakes. In an attempt to eat less pre-packaged foods I have given up the 'just add water' pancake mix and have been making pancakes from scratch. Not only are they healthier but it gets the girls into the kitchen helping me...math anyone?

One of our favorite 'from scratch' recipes is a Brown Sugar Oatmeal Pancake from Sharon Wilson Bickett on allrecipes.com. The only thing I change from the recipe is I do add cinnamon. I cannot tell you how much because I don't measure it. :)

Today, Emma mashed 5 very ripe bananas in a zip loc bag. Once the bananas were mashed, she measured the oats and I put them in the bag with the bananas (just to soften the oats a bit). I added the banana and oat mixture to the wet ingredients then followed up with the dry ingredients like the recipe suggests. I use a cookie scoop from Pampered Chef to measure out the pancake mix. I can get 9 pancakes on my griddle this way. This batch of pancake mix gave us 35 pancakes...we have 5 left over!

Emma had four, Carter ate NINE and Sarah ate TEN!! I was hoping to have had enough left over for breakfast tomorrow or to pop in the freezer for another morning - no such luck. I could not make these fast enough this morning.

Give them a try! They go...well, like hot cakes!

Blessings,
Kim

Blessed Be Your Name, Lord

A friend of mine recently lost a close friend. Her friend passed away after giving birth to her & her husband's fourth baby.

I am reminded how precious life is and how very short it can be. Losses like this cause me to stop and think about how truly blessed I am.

I am at a loss to even begin to comprehend how my friend's family moves on from here. God's Word tell us the His grace is sufficient, that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. In Psalm we are told that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted.

Thank you, God for your Word. Thank you that in times of weakness You are our strength. I pray that Your grace would abundantly flow over this family, that in this time of great loss and weakness Your strength will carry them through. I pray even now - as their hearts are broken, Father that they could feel You close to them - carry them through.

A portion of a song came to my mind this morning as I was praying for the family.

"You give and take away"
"You give and take away"
"My heart will choose to say Lord, blessed be Your name"

This could not be truer for this family. I pray that they can find the strength to bless Your name Lord.

Here are the rest of the words to this song.

Blessed be Your Name by Matt Redmond

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

27 Million

27 million is the number of slaves in the world today. Imagine if you can, EVERY man, woman & child in the states of Texas and Iowa combined being forced into a life they cannot control. Young girls and boys forced to prostitute their bodies, women forced to cook or clean tables in a restaurant or allow themselves to be ‘bought’ in brothels, men forced to work in fields and factories…

What is Human Trafficking?
The United Nations definition of human trafficking is “The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation". Trafficking is a violation of human rights. Victims of trafficking suffer from physical and mental abuse and social stigmatization. They become isolated, losing ties with their former lives and families.

A Few Statistics
• Today there are more people enslaved than at the height of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.
• According to Not For Sale there are approximately 200,000 people trapped in human trafficking in the US.
• Trafficking in women is the second largest global organized crime today, generating approximately US$12 billion a year.
• People are bought and sold for an average of $91
• Every 30 seconds a victim is pulled into human trafficking
• 80% are women and children

Where can you go for more information?
• Stop the Traffick
• Free the Slaves
• Not For Sale
• www.humantrafficking.org


What can you do?
Pray: Trafficking Prayer Guide: Use this prayer diary over a period of three weeks to focus your prayers on the issue of trafficking, praying for the victims of trafficking and for change around the world.

Day Three from Prayer Guide
Thirteen men in Pennsylvania, USA have been accused of trafficking girls as young as 12 into forced prostitution. Judges and law enforcement officers noticed that they were arresting and charging the same young girls over and over again. Often they had the money already prepared to pay the fine. It became clear that they were being controlled by a child sex gang and forced to work truck stops in the Toledo area. Many of the girls were from north Ohio. One of the accused claimed that the young girls were working of their own accord. “She’s choosing the best investment for her money,” he said. “The prosecutors are trying to make it like a bunch of us running around with candy in our pocket, going to parks and picking up little kids. It wasn’t like that at all - period.” In fact, it is illegal to employ a 14-year-old as a prostitute and taking these girls across state lines could mean that the men are charged with human trafficking. “They just become accustomed to that lifestyle,” Chip Burrus, the FBI’s acting assistant director for criminal investigations said. “You can’t consent to be a prostitute at age 14.”

Please pray for children from abusive backgrounds that drift into child prostitution, not only in the US, but also across the world. Often these children are trafficked and controlled and once in a situation of prostitution they find it hard to break out.

The Greatest Love

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (NASB)

The Message tells us about God's love this way...

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. John 3:16 (The Message)

This Valentine's Day has me thinking about love...and what God has to say about it. It seems Love is a big topic in Scripture. There are over 450 verses related to love. Many are commands or directives like these:

"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days..." - Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NKJV)

"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you - Matthew 5:44 (NKJV)

God showed His love by sending Jesus. Jesus showed His love to us by giving His life! "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." - John 15:13 (ESV)

If you love God, others should know by your life. "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." - John 14:15 (ESV)

I hope this Valentine's Day you find true love with your Savior.

Blessings,
Kim

On My Heart

As we prepare to celebrate Valentines - a holiday about love. I am struck by how many (men, women & children) who have never known love.

Our family had dinner with some new friends last night. It was a wonderful time spent listening to our children be children and all the noise that comes with that. We had yummy food and desserts and encouraging conversation that was centered around what God is doing in both our families.

During our conversation we talked about human trafficking - a dark side of human nature and sin. I was introduced to a woman and her ministry in Thailand. I am very interested in it and will look for ways to become involved. In the mean time, I thought I would share a post with you from her blog.

Check it out, visit the store, support the women who are trying to find the 'LIGHT'. May God bless her and her ministry as she is truly shining a light in the darkest of places.

Nightlight International Blog

By the way, how are you using your 1440 minutes? I will be taking a closer inventory of mine.

Under Construction

As you can see I am switching things up a little.

Please be patient as I try to figure out how I changed everything in the first place. It might take me a little before I get some of the colors figured out (ie: butterfly & titles) :)

I'll get there eventually - probably with my technologically advanced web designing hubby! :D

Anyway, hope you enjoy the changes.

Looking forward to Spring!
Kim