My Mother's Home

Connie's Kitchen

 

 {From the Archives of Connie's Letters, July 2012.}

Dear Mothers, 

Good Morning!!! I am feeling much better. . This whole thing with me is hard to put down in words. I think I somehow gave up on life and just quit eating and drinking. . I really somehow lost the homemaking spirit. . Jill and I used to say that the homemaking spirit was hard to hang onto. . To me it was like trying to hang onto a greased pig. In this day and age, it's easy to forget the lil duties of home. . 

My mother was a widow for about 6 years before she died. . But Mother's house was always clean even though she was sick. . And Mom fixed a meal every day. . For lunch a sandwich and maybe a salad. . But for supper she always fixed meat, potatoes, a vegetable etc..

 If I had come over to vacuum and change the sheets on the bed, Mom would fix a nice afternoon meal. And she never, ever ate anything in the livingroom. . She always ate her meals up to the table. . And she rarely left dishes in the sink. . After lunch Mom would  bring her glass of iced tea into the livingroom to drink it and watch tv. . Well even the day she left for Hospice . . she made her bed before she left. .This was about 3 weeks before she died. . . 

It wasn't hard to clean through Mom's house after she died. . She was so orderly. . She also knew she was dying so she got rid of a lot of stuff. . But of course Mom could never understand me and my kids who are all free spirits. . But as I think of her right now and how much dignity she had I wish in some ways I was like her. 

 Love Connie

{Note from the administrator: This writing has been gleaned from the archives of Connie's letters. Find out more about the posts on this blog by reading this introduction. }

* Order Connie's book, "Dear Kitchen Saints."  It is autobiographical and tells the beautiful story of her marriage testimony! You will be encouraged in old time homemaking.* 

The Home Coming

Connie's Kitchen

 

{From the Archives of Connie's Letters. November 21, 2007.}

 

Dear Mothers, 

This subject sounds like the Waltons Home Coming. . My children will be coming in today from NYC . . Missouri and Illinois. 

 My children remind me of the Waltons in some ways. . Each of them trying to find themselves and their places in the scheme of things. . Each strong and vibrant...and full of creativity. . They are writers . . singers and artists . .

 I wish I was more like Olivia though. . strong and sure of herself and her children. . She and her husband John said that each of their children were thoroughbreds. . Johnny tells me "Mom ..Mary will be alright . . she's a Hultquist". . and I think to myself. ."yeah she comes from a long line of Come Back Kids." Tonight everyone will meet here for a Chilli Supper. . cornbread and Apple cider. I may get Brownies made if I have time. . 

This morning I have some last minute shopping to do. . Gotta get gas for the car too . . But I can't wait to get back home and do last minute things to add to the comfort of my dear ones' childhood home. . Papa's home. . where our children were raised by faith. . 

Papa's heart is with us . . as a part of the cloud of witnesses. He cheers me on from the heavenlies. ."Connie be strong and full of courage, Jesus is with you. . don't be afraid. ."

 I used to, in the old days, worry in a chair. . Papa would come to me and stoop down by my chair and look up at me. ."We have made it through worse than this." And he would take my face and turn it towards his. . and look into my eyes .  ."Connie it will be ok." I see him so often saying that to me as I am a widow now. . "All is well Connie . . Jesus won't let you down." My heart is glad to see the children come home..."Yes Papa, all is well."

Love Connie

 

{Note from the administrator: This writing has been gleaned from the archives of Connie's letters. Find out more about the posts on this blog by reading this introduction. }

* Order Connie's book, "Dear Kitchen Saints."  It is autobiographical and tells the beautiful story of her marriage testimony! You will be encouraged in old time homemaking.* 

 

 

 

Housekeeping

Connie's Kitchen

 {From the Archives of Connie's Letters, October 2007.}

Dear Mothers,

 When Jim and I first married we lived in this cute apartment. . . It even had a bed that came out of the wall in the living room. . . Anyway, the 2 landladies were sisters and lived together. When Jim was at work I invited them over for desserts. They would tell me about their childhood homes.."Sister made all the pies as she was good at it and I made all the bread," they would tell me. . And at the time, as a young wife, I could tell that in the old time families each one had different gifts in the home. That the Lord sorta planned it like that.

Back then all of the food was made at home. . everything was done at home. My own Mom says about her home.."I wasn't allowed to milk the cows as I wasn't good at it.". . Each family member had certain gifts. . Now days the gifts in a family don't often show up as they aren't needed. But we as home-wives do have gifts in our callings as homemakers.

I know my gift is cooking. I love to hand sew too but I am not good with a sewing machine. . I make everything by hand. . Christiane Joy sews everything by hand too. . Her stitches look just like I sewed them myself. . Always a double thread and double stitching a certain way. I am very peaceful when I sit and sew. 

 But anyway if you get sorta out of the mood for your homemaking, it's nice to start out with your gift and then go from there. . My gift is cooking and baking. . So if I need to clean out a drawer or something I will get something good in the oven baking first..Your gift will inspire you and organize you so that you can think of what else you need to do.

When the children were little and I would get sorta uninspired, I would take an hour or so after lunch and before naps to read to the children the old time stories. . In these stories the mother was always happy and content..Those old time stories inspired me..This old literature is good to read to the children as it teaches them that good writing has a certain rhythm. . Some of the newer children's books don't have the rhythm the old time rhymes had . It's good to teach the children to stand up and recite good literature.

But there are many gifts in a household and in our places as keepers at home. .Try to find out what you are good at and let your gift inspire you.

Love Connie

 

{Note from the administrator: This writing has been gleaned from the archives of Connie's letters. Find out more about the posts on this blog by reading this introduction. }

* Order Connie's book, "Dear Kitchen Saints."  It is autobiographical and tells the beautiful story of her marriage testimony! You will be encouraged in old time homemaking.* 

 

 

 

Homemaking

Connie's Kitchen

 

{From the Archives of Connie's Letters. September 19, 2007.}

 

Dear Mothers, 

 The Fall it seems is the time the Lord always calls so many of us back to the usual comfort foods that we have a lot of the year..Whenever I think of my family I think of how I started many comfort meals with a pound of hamburger. . Even if we were having company the meat portion remained the same..a pound of hamburger. . . I could be generous with the potatoes and beans or corn etc but the meat was a small amount. . I would make a lot of biscuits and gravy and vegetable soup with hamburger . . One favorite meal I made with wieners was this. . I would get out my big cast iron skillet and fry a pound of hot dogs. . You could fry onions and peppers in too. . the wieners, whole not cut up, and the onions in rounds. . Then when the meat was brown I would pour about 3 cans of pork and beans over this, drained. Then stir in about a fourth cup of brown sugar and a fourth cup of ketchup and a squirt of mustard. And lots of Black Pepper for Papa. . and salt. . Then bake this in the oven for about a half hour at medium heat. . 

Ya know, left over baked beans is good in sandwiches. . Back in the Depression Era? Meat was sometimes hard to come by unless your husband was a hunter. . So since beans had protein like meat the housewives used a lot of beans for meals. . I once read of a Depression era sandwich that I tried and love it to this day. . I eat it often. . You take some bread and spread some mayo on it and the left over baked beans. . You put a slice of onion on it and some lettuce and a slice of tomato. . This is my favorite sandwich. . But during the summers on the farm many families had all the vegetables and fruits they could eat. . So this was a wonderful Depression era summer lunch..

Wild man used to eat radish sandwiches with butter on them or salad dressing.  . He didn't like mayonnaise. . I liked it but never got any until after the kids were raised and left home. . For years I never got to drink instant tea unless we went some place as I couldn't afford it when the kids were home. .To belt out 3 bucks or so then for a jar of instant tea was out of the question.. I mean once in a while if we had extra money I got some instant tea but that wasn't often. . I made a lot of sun tea in those days..

I made sure, as the Depression era mothers did, to always splurge on Papa's coffee.  He didn't ask for a lot but I wanted to always run ahead of him and get him a name brand coffee to please him.. He deserved it and it took a lot out of him to work for all of us..So I tried to always have hot brewed coffee for him each morning before he went to work. Or on cold evenings if he was home late he knew Mama and the coffee would be warm at home waiting for him. . .

Most of my life I am waiting for Papa. . And now I am waiting to see him in heaven.  "I love you Papa if you are reading this. . . I am tryin to honor your memory and be an example to the kids." 

Love Connie

 

{Note from the administrator: This writing has been gleaned from the archives of Connie's letters. Find out more about the posts on this blog by reading this introduction. }

* Order Connie's book, "Dear Kitchen Saints."  It is autobiographical and tells the beautiful story of her marriage testimony! You will be encouraged in old time homemaking.* 

 

 

Old Time Country Mothers

Connie's Kitchen

 {From the Archives of Connie's Letters, September 2008.}

Dear Mothers,

Good Morning. I have been thinking lately about my Aunt Eileen's farm. . I remember when the beans from her garden were coming on in the summertime. . The farm women were always up early in the morning for chores. But in the afternoon they would all sit around the TV. . .  watching Soap Operas and snapping green beans to can when the soaps were over.

Gram lived in a little house on the farm property. . So she would help with the canning too. . Mom used to say, "Your Grandma would roll over in her grave if she saw how bad the soap operas of today have gotten." And oh yeah she would have.  I remember when I was about 7 and the Honey Mooners were first on TV. . Gram Canaday would stay in the kitchen but would say, loud enough for the family to hear it. ."He doesn't need to talk to her like that." Meaning how Jackie Gleason spoke to his wife. . . Gram thought the Honey Mooners was a dirty show. . Gram probably never tasted any kind of fermented beverage in her life. . Soda pop was a stretch for her. . She never drank that either. . Never wore lipstick. .When my mom and her sisters came home with fingernail polish on, their dad tried to wash it off with soap and water.

The housewives back when I was growing up wouldn't even wear shorts hardly at all, no matter how hot the summer was. . If they did have shorts on and someone talked them into going to town for something, they would say, "Well let me change clothes. . I wont wear shorts to town."

My mother wouldn't wear any colors that were bright when I was growing up. . She did later on as the styles changed. . But she would say. ."I wont wear orange, it is too loud". . Loud colors were colors that brought attention to the woman. .Women were to be quiet and lady-like and always under control.

Love Connie

{Note from the administrator: This writing has been gleaned from the archives of Connie's letters. Find out more about the posts on this blog by reading this introduction. }

* Order Connie's book, "Dear Kitchen Saints," - It is autobiographical and tells the beautiful story of her marriage testimony! You will be encouraged in old time homemaking.* 

 

Mother is Keeper of Christmas

Connie's Kitchen

 

{From the Archives of Connie's Letters. December 22, 2009.}

 

Mother is keeper at home, and keeper of Christmas. . . The guardian angel of home.

  I have heard families say, after the old fashioned mother died,"Why doesn't anyone want to get together for Christmas anymore?" Well in the old days, Mother always brought everyone together. She would invite everyone home for the holidays. When she died, then an older sister would carry on the family tradition.. But someone always took on the role as guardian of the home and family. Someone would take the role of Mother and gather the family up and love them and call them home. 

 I remember back as a child. . I mean on Christmas? You had Christmas with the family. . . And Mom invited family and anyone around us who needed a place to come for Christmas.  If I asked to bring someone no one knew, Mom would say, "Well sure, tell 'em to come on ahead.  Everyone is welcome."

Oh the women cooked and cooked.  The aunts brought pies galore. We children couldn't wait for Christmas. The families back then were so fenced into family and traditions. . Mother made sure that each year the traditions were followed to the letter. . Mother was the keeper of family traditions. And we children knew what to expect and that made us feel content and happy and loved.

On Christmas eve, we children got to open one present. Then on Christmas morning we opened our other gifts. . About a week before Christmas, one of the aunts or my mother would have the Christmas dinner and Christmas gift exchange for the relatives. But the eve of Christmas and Christmas day was private, Just my Dad and Mom and we kids. It was a sacred day for just us. Mom and Dad weren't religious. But in our home, family was very important.

And ya know family traditions wont just show up and hit ya over the head.They have to be planned and decided on by the mother in the home. Almost like making a covenant with God to be faithful to love your family. . . To show Christian love and care. . And some families don't have a strong mother to take this role. And so we as wives need to take up this place.. and be the keepers of Christmas Homes.

Can we pretend to adore Baby Jesus in the manger at Christmas and not love our brothers and sisters who are right in front of us? Dear Keepers at home, let's somehow, this year, put our Aprons on and make a Christmas for our loved ones. . Let's build some landmarks of traditions like walls of protection for our children.  Isn't this how we would truly worship the living Christ and remember His birthday? By loving one another and serving those who He died for?

 Let's celebrate His life with love and a heart warming home. . A home where Mother is keeper of Christmas.

 

Love Connie

 

 

{Note from the administrator: This writing has been gleaned from the archives of Connie's letters. Find out more about the posts on this blog by reading this introduction. }

* Order Connie's book, "Dear Kitchen Saints," - It is autobiographical and tells the beautiful story of her marriage testimony! You will be encouraged in old time homemaking.* 

 

 

Easter Preparations



{From the Archives of Connie's Letters. April, 2014.}


Part 1  (Easter Preparations) (April 12, 2014)

Dear Mothers, 

I am up in the night writing. . . Aunt Tootsie came early afternoon yesterday to help me with some Easter preparations....We had a good time..Then we had a pizza delivered for supper. . 

I had made a Pumpkin Cake too. .This is how I made it. . I used a yellow cake mix, 2 eggs and a can of pumpkin, and a cup of raisins. . I just put the canned pumpkin in a bowl and added the 2 eggs and I beat this up with a spoon. .Then I added the dry cake mix to the eggs and pumpkin and I stirred this good.  . last of all I added the cup of raisins. . Also for spices, I added Pumpkin Spice and extra cinnamon. . . Just stir this up really good ..Then pour this cake mixture into a big oiled baking pan...and bake at 350 degrees until it is done.. about a half hour...To see if the cake is done, I just stick a paring knife in it..or a tooth pick ...if the knife comes out clean, then it is done..

Anyway Mary's family is coming for Easter and David's family. . Then some family friends too. .We will have a ham and mashed potatoes. . My 2 brothers will come with their families. . Everyone brings food to go along with the ham dinner. . 

We always have a good time. . Hopefully we will have a sunny warm day. What are you all having for Easter? 

Mothers, just walk by faith. . No one's family is perfect . . Just cook up a nice dinner for Easter. . If your husband is gone, just make your dinner as if he will come in the door any minute.  . Don't be sad. . its Easter. . Jesus was raised from the dead. . Nothing is impossible with God !!! Love Connie

 Praise God. . Jesus is Alive !!!


Part 2  (Psalm 91: Under the Shadow of His Wings.) (April 17, 2014)

Dear Mothers, 

Yesterday I was going into the store and something strange happened.  . . First I have to say I was soooooo tired ...I had gone to the Dollar Store and now needed to get some groceries for Easter. . 

But on the way into Aldies, I thought I saw a big eagle or something fly over. . I could see the shadow of his wings on the pavement. . But I couldn't see any bird anywhere. . 

Aunt Toot, after hearing my story, said "Connie maybe it was an angel.." Jill said, after I told her,"You were under the shadow of His wings.." The scripture that I thought of was, They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. . They shall mount up on wings as the eagle. . They shall run and not be weary and walk and not faint.


Part 3  (A Lovely Easter) (April 21, 2014)

This morning I am sitting here wondering how on earth I did what I did yesterday with Easter dinner. . When everyone got here I had most things done.  Usually I need a lot of HELP !!

"Tiffany" my sweet girl.  . David's wife said, "Well Connie, last year when we came you didn't even have the ham in the oven yet". . I had forgotten that.  . I have come a long ways since last Easter. . And the Easter before that, my brother had Easter at his house. . 

For you who don't know, I was diagnosed with Parkinsons. . But I am fighting it and believing God for a HEALING in Jesus name. . 

Tiff brought the mashed potatoes and the green bean casserole. . . and dinner rolls. . I bought an apple pie and I made Easter cupcakes for dessert. . My brothers brought deviled eggs and a relish plate. . . and I baked the ham. . When the ham was done, I had my brother Kirk slice the ham up and I made ham gravy. . . it was too salty. . Next time I will use less broth and more milk to make the gravy. 

But I am super grateful to the Lord for helping me and giving me a supernatural strength. . Jesus is our healer. . . He sure healed my marriage and he can heal all of us ..No matter what it is. . .

Love Connie

* Order Connie's book, "Dear Kitchen Saints," - It is autobiographical and tells the beautiful story of her marriage testimony!* 

World Events - and Keeping Your Home



{From the Archives of Connie's Letters. August 9, 2011.}


Part 1 - World Events

Dear Daughters of a New Revolution,

Wow the times we live in, Hu? No time to be Lily-Livered right ? Ya have to hang on to something just to watch the World News. . Well, a set of problems are set before us. . .But our country has been sooo evil and wicked for so many years now. . . Didn't we know that something had to give..?

If this time of trouble will turn things around. . . turn people around. . .  isn't it worth it ? The authority in our country, and it seems in other countries too, is so evil. . Those who make the laws put pressure on the pure in heart to turn away from God. . The Bible says that even the Elect would be deceived in times like these. . . I am up for a new plan aren't you ? I am just going to trust in God for His new way of doing things. . .

The so- called experts on tv say not to take your money out of the stock market. . I would say,{but who am I? } to take the money out and pay off your credit cards and loans against the house. . . or pay for the house. . . That way you are still investing, but it's in your own family. . I would say to take the money and do repairs on your house or buy a new furnace or whatever the house has to have to make it livable. . .

I know the housing market is down. . . But You can do a lot if you have your own home. . . Like even start a business from home. . .

 If you lose your house. . . You are out of luck...This is what we girls always told each other in the old days, "Keep a roof over your head."

And it is a good time to buy a house right now, if one has the money... I bought this house a year before the house prices went up. . I bought it in 1973 for 12,000 bucks. . . That included taxes and insurance. . And in, I think, October of 1974 it was worth 24,000 dollars. . Yeah it was a wreck when we bought it, but we have remodeled more each year. . . And I thank God for it now as it is paid off. . That was my investment into my own family...

But I mean, don't get your mind on paying off things that don't matter- then be out a roof over your head. . . The bill collectors aint gonna care if you have a house or not. . . they want their money. . . But if someone has to lose { as plenty of companies will} don't let it be your children or family. . . Put your family first. . . Because if ya have a house to live in, you can start again and maybe get another job and pay the bills . . . But don't pay the bills and lose the house.  . and have no place for your family.


Part 2 - The Wise Woman

When Wildman was getting ready for his last rodeo . . his last ride. . .  to Glory {Heaven}, he worried about having money saved for me to live on. . I told him, "Honey, just pay off the house."  He did and thank the Lord for that. . .

Jim did pay off a car loan too. . I had some hospital bills to pay. . . But I would never pay a hospital bill over losing the house. . I guess what I am saying is, put your own family first and do what you can honestly do with the other bills. . Because ya know it isn't just the poor who are on the streets in big cities. . .

And ya know, we women have so much more than the Depression -Era Mothers had to keep their families afloat. . . We have more kitchen inventions, etc. to keep house with. . If we are wise, we can make it through the coming hard times. . IF we don't panic . . Panic will cause you to make a lot of mistakes. . .

But if you remain quiet and keep your eyes on Jesus, you will make it just as your Grandma and Great- grandparents did. . They made it, or you wouldn't be here right now..!!!

The Wise woman builds her home and the foolish tear it down with their hands. . . The Wise woman sees the hard times ahead and she makes plans to survive these times. . But the foolish woman will panic and lose what she has . .

We are virtuous women and are not confused and helpless. . We are Sarah's daughters and are not afraid with any amazement. . The Lord is on our side and we will have courage. . . We have a plan. . We are not left in the dark. . The wisdom of God is our light.

Love Connie

 

 

* Order Connie's book, "Dear Kitchen Saints," - It is autobiographical and tells the beautiful story of her marriage testimony!* 

Christmas Time

{From the Archives of Connie's Letters. December 8, 2007.}


Many years ago when I had a lil 5 year old boy, we got kicked out of our apartment just before Christmas. . A church moved us to another apartment, thank the Lord. . And when we got there, we had no food.  It was a sad time. 


I remember my lil boy telling the landlady, that threw us out, . . "It's almost my Birthday."  I sat at the window in my new apartment and looked out . . I spoke to Jim out there somewhere in that snowy world. . . "Where are you, Jim? It's almost Christmas."  


I just thought, "Why Lord ..why haven't you answered my prayers?" God knew ahead of time what my life would be like. . I was so devastated, but the Lord knew my future. . He had it in His hands. . The Lord couldn't even tell me the glorious answers to prayer that I was about to see in the years ahead. . .


Had an angel come to see me and told me my future, I wouldn't have believed it.  But I was to go on and see 26 more years of a healed marriage. . I was to spend 26 of the most glorious Christmases I could ever imagine.


I was to see my beloved husband give his heart and life to Christ. . I was to have 5 more children. . I didn't know how good God was. .  . I was to give my story of a healed marriage, not just to my state of Iowa, but around the world. . I didn't know the goodness of God or his power. . I wasn't even a writer then. . I was young, just 25 years old. . The world just looked at me and Jim as 2 accidents going some place. . 


Years later, after the Lord gave us a miracle, a lady who was a politician's wife came to me for counseling. . She paid me to counsel her. . She was a dear saint. . That was mind boggling to me. 


 Now at this Christmas time, in the natural, looks so bleak to me.  I think back to that snowy Christmas years ago when all seemed lost. . . . And I think of how God made it all up to me and gave me double blessings. . He gives us exceeding and abundantly more then we can think or ask. . 


 As you follow Christ you will see His glory.  . Decide that you will not be defeated and that you will not quit. .


love Connie

 

 

* Order Connie's book, "Dear Kitchen Saints," - It is autobiographical and tells the beautiful story of her marriage testimony!* 

Angels Unaware - Take Care of Your Husband

 {From the Archives of Connie's Letters, July 2012.}

Mary L. used to tell me about her mother... She would tell me how they were homesteaders in South Dakota.... She said that her Mother loved her Dad so much.. And that she took excellent care of him...

Her Mother always fixed wonderful meals for him even when she and her husband were old.  Mary said one time, after she was married, she had come home to visit her folks.. And the next morning she wanted her mother to sit and watch a show on tv with her..  But her mother said she wanted to be like Jesus and minister  to her husband.."Jesus has come to serve"..Mary said she never forgot that.. 

Mary always had a servant's heart.. Mary told me that her mother told this story in the old days about a stranger that came to their house ..  Her Mother served this man a meal and then he went on his way.  But this stranger told her mother that her dad would live a long life because her Mother took such good care of him..

Mary's dad lived well past 90 yrs old.. Mary and her mom thought this man was an angel unaware..

Love Connie

* Order Connie's book, "Dear Kitchen Saints," - It is autobiographical and tells the beautiful story of her marriage testimony!* 

Living by Faith

{From the Archives of Connie's Letters. May, 2013.}

Part 1


I feel my writing is very important ... How could any Christian mother look at our precious country and not be moved to do something to help our America back up. .

We older Mothers are to help the younger moms to stay home . .

We need to be examples to them.  As we encourage the young moms, then we help them to make decent homes for the children.

Feminism is such an unholy spirit . . It slaps the face daily of innocent children. . Nothing hurts like watching your family break up. .My greatest heartache lately is that I haven't been able to write .. But the Lord God is making a way for me where there is no way. .

Ya know lately I have been looking through my MARY JANE'S FARM magazines..T hey have a lot of ideas about old fashioned housekeeping etc..  When Jim was healed he started to work steady. . And hey I knew I had to do some radically different things if I planned on making it. . At first Jim only had minimum wage jobs. .One job he had they expected him to work over time and they paid him half the wage for overtime. .So if he made 4 bucks an hour, and if he worked 2 hrs over, then he only got paid 2 bucks an hour for the over time.  . instead of 6 dollars ... Crazy stuff.. But he had a job..and that was wonderful..

The Word of God says that there is gain in all labor.. If you love the Lord and you are working for His glory then the Lord will reward you for your labor. .I just thought, "Ya know God has given me these children and He expects me to take what I have and buy food for them." The Lord never let us down.. .I always had what I needed to feed my family..

Part 2

I think so often of the Depression era mothers.. But the mothers coming up in our country, when its all said and done. may just outrun the Depression era mothers.   I mean the 1930's presented some very hard times.. Still. .with God all things are possible. . If I had a houseful of children right now and I didn't know how to garden or cook from what I had in the house. . I would be learning how. .

I remember going to the store with about 10 bucks to last for the the rest of the week. . I bought about 3 pounds of hamburger and a big sack of potatoes.. and I think I bought a chicken...and that was it.. But now for you ladies everything has gone up sky high. .and the wage law hasn't gone up as much.. .You all have a lot to believe God for. .Every wise woman builds her house and the foolish tear it down with her hands.

God is with us dear mothers.. No matter how much money we have or how little.. . He is able to help us to make it and care for our children. . . With Health care the way it is in our country, we better keep our eyes on Jesus.. .Our President says we are no longer a Christian nation...That breaks my heart..But each of we moms who ARE Christians can make a difference. .we need to encourage each other.. So often I get emails from mothers who read my testimony. .they say "I never could have made it without your testimony.." it kills me inside .. I feel I am so inadequate.. But I just keep peddling along. .and I hope you girls will keep peddling along too. .we all have something to give and to encourage each other with..

Love Connie

 * Order Connie's book, "Dear Kitchen Saints," - It is autobiographical - all about homemaking and family life. It also tells the beautiful story of her marriage testimony!* 

Financial Matters

Connie's Kitchen

 



{From the Archives of Connie's Letters. October 2009.}



Ya know when Jim first got healed we were 2 accidents going some place. . Every day I wondered will he rob me of all of our money and take off again?   The Lord told me he was healed but man I wavered back and forth.  I had been left over 30 times with nothing. . and had lived through nightmares. . Now I am to believe we are okay?

Well yeah miracles happen like that.   Still I was afraid.  Well we kept our check book in a desk drawer. The minute Jim left for work in the mornings I would go look in the desk drawer to see if the check book was still there. . .and it was. . . But I got so sick of the devil trying to make me fearful.   I hated it, and yet every morning I checked my desk drawer. . . Again and again each morning. . .checking.  I felt like a slave to fear.

One morning as Jim sat with me drinking coffee before he went to work,  I went to the drawer and got out the check book and handed it to Jim. . . I said "Hey Honey, why don't you take the check book to work with ya, just in case you need something.". . He said, "Why should I?  I don't need to buy anything.".. I said, "Well take it anyway.". . . I was calling the devil out on it.  Later I said, "Well okay then, don't take it.". . I laid the check book out in plain sight on the table.  And to my surprise, just before Jim went to work, he said,"I think I will take it," and he put it in his back pocket.

Well I began to sweat bullets ..and did all day..But Jim came home after work with the check book still in his back pocket.  After that I gave Jim full control over the bills.  . He made mistakes with the money, he hadn't been in charge of the money before so he had to learn how much to spend it on what, And he learned to be wise . . and for 26 years he took care of the bills wisely.   A few years before he died, he paid off a loan on the house.  He always kept current with the bills.  He even left a lil savings for me.  He turned out to be a good man.  . . An honest man.

Yesterday was his Birthday.  He would have been 69 years old, Or I mean 69 years young. . He was always young to me. . . always my boyfriend...He was full of adventure.  I had to run to keep up with him.  My marriage was a hell of a ride.  But I  wouldn't have missed it for the World.

And Papa used to say to anyone who would listen, "if it wasn't for that lil girl over there praying for me, I would have died under a bridge. . she saved my life through her prayers.". . And I thank God I was able to be used of God like that.  God did reward me many times over. . .

Love Connie

 * Order Connie's book, "Dear Kitchen Saints," - It is autobiographical - all about homemaking and family life. It also tells the beautiful story of her marriage testimony!* 

His Eye is On the Sparrow

 Dear Sisters in Christ,

Wow I have been learning many hard lessons in Christ. .Ya know the Lord is teaching me that if we are sick ...no matter what we have, we can get can get well. .

A few months ago I had 2 therapists come in to teach me exercises in my home...These ladies were like angels. They sensed that I had given up...The one lady said to me .."Connie you can live through this..if you want to.  Or you can die ...it's your decision"...Well I decided to live..

I did pretty well with the exercises..The ladies only came about 4 or 5 times. They told me after that they were no longer needed ....I am getting better...My goal is to live here at home in peace and to write ...I am surrounded by the things I love. ... I want to play my piano each day and stay busy with my home making..I love to write...The writing organizes my thoughts.......But the main thing is that I must serve God..No I dont know why life is so hard ...But His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.

Love  Connie

 * Order Connie's book, "Dear Kitchen Saints," - It is autobiographical - all about homemaking and family life. It also tells the beautiful story of her marriage testimony!* 

Old Prairie Land

{From the Archives of Connie's Letters, September, 2006.}

Dear Mothers,

Oh, lately nothing has ministered to me as much as looking out my side screen door. It’s right behind me as I write. That old black screen door is maybe 50 years old at least. It’s wooden and has an old screen in it on the outside and then a strong one on the inside. I imagine in the old days, the children kept breaking it out and a Daddy nailed a stronger screen on the inside. Anyway, between the screens I have placed flowers that I have dried.

Johnny mowed just lately but the grass was getting pretty high out the side yard and I loved it. Oh, it looked so old fashioned with Dixie’s windmill out there and the gourds growing around it. See, Iowa became a state in about 1850 something I think. So the house I live in is one of the first ones built in Iowa. I let my wild herbs grow in my yard as to take the land back to the way it once was. I have old fashioned flowers, too, that come up each year. The flowers I am enjoying right now are the morning glories. In the fall, these glories cover everything. They have blue flowers and purple, white and pink. They grow up the house and all over. Many people hate them as they intertwine everything but I love them. If I could, I would just let the grass grow in certain areas of my yard. I love the tall grass and old kinds of flowers as they sway in the summer breeze.

I am so happy here with my home as Papa had it. Jim loved nature and back to the land things. Papa wasn’t much with words. I never got into a word war with Jim as I knew I would win. I mean without really winning? But, oh, we connected in many ways. Mostly over homemade bread or a fresh apple pie.

Papa ran after me in his heart, always afraid of losing me to something. One time, he wrote about how glad he was, as I had told him that I had abandoned myself to him and our children. Jim wanted all of me and didn’t want to share me. It was a sacrifice to him to give me up as a writer. It was a sacrifice to me, too. All I ever wanted was Jim and the children and our home. I wanted to have children through my 50s. But Jim used to tell folks that one of the reasons he ran away from his family in the old days is because he had put me on such a pedestal and didn’t think he could keep up with me. Often I told him I loved him and only him. But in the early years he would say, “You only love me because God told you to.” Little did he know that I truly loved him with or without God.

When I first met Jim, I just loved him right off the bat. I ate bullets for breakfast and nothing less than Jim would do. I still remember how he held me as we danced our first slow dance together. The other day, as I had gone to the store, I heard a song on the radio. I had to listen to it in the car before I went in the store. The singer was a son asking God to let his Mom dance one more time with his father who had died. Well, Papa and me will dance again with golden slippers on golden streets.

But as I write this morning, I can feel Papa’s spirit as I feel the cool breeze coming through the old screen door behind me. And I hear locusts and the crickets chirp. “Oh, Papa, yes, I will pick the apples this morning. I picked the wild plums yesterday.” Jim always called me away from my daydreaming and writing to the Prairie Land and to the works of righteousness. Papa was a dreamer, too — a visionary. But he didn’t know how to tell me what he had dreamed.

I talked to Danny, our son age 24, last week. He went to NYC to find himself and to get discovered as a musician. Feeling kinda like a failure as a mom, I said to Dan (my fifth child), “Danny, did Dad and I do anything right raising you kids?” He said, “Oh, Mom, you and Dad did everything right. Us kid had a ball growing up. We learned to be creative and to do things on our own.” But I said, “Danny, do ya still love the Lord? And what is the best thing Dad and I taught you personally?” Danny said the best and most important thing we taught him was that he could make it one way or the other. That nothing could take him down. I asked Dan if he liked NYC and he said that he missed home and the garden and the fruit trees. He misses Papa, as we all do. But the City is mostly concrete and he misses the wild flowers and what he grew up with.

I haven’t made a loaf of bread since I lost my Jim. My heart land has not rained and my heart has been dry and covered with sand. But it will bloom again I see it in my visions. I see specks of dreams that I am going on — as Dan says, “Mom, you and Dad taught us to never give up.”

Danny and I laughed about the year the gas bill got so high. And how we turned the heat off altogether and wore our coats in the house. The bill went to 25 bucks after being 500 and some dollars. Our outside dog would cry by the kerosene burner but I wouldn’t turn it on until just before the family was up for breakfast. We laugh about how Mom outlasted the dog. I would tell the dog that if I could make it without fur, then she could make it, too. Even our dog was a survivor. She lived to be 15 years old. The only time she saw a vet was when we took her to have her put down. She was old and had pneumonia.

I guess we just didn’t have much money to take us through and we refused to give up on anything. As I write, I look at my family table still set for 7 or 8 people. Oh, the stories I could tell. Stories of just plain not givin’ up. Papa and me would just say, “Well, we will just make it somehow.” Then Jim would smile and pretend to tip his hat. “We always do.”

But ya know a lot of it had to do with going back to the land. Going back to basics. There is a secret there. The Depression era Mothers did the same thing when they lost everything. They went back to the land and made a home. This old home of mine went through the Depression era and stood tall and strong and I will, too. And in my desert, I will bloom as the desert rose. And as I tip my hat to Papa in heaven, I say, “And, yes, Papa we will make it as we always do.”

Love Connie

 * Order Connie's book, "Dear Kitchen Saints," available on Amazon. It is autobiographical and tells the beautiful story of her marriage testimony!* 

Storing Food for the Winter

{From the Archives of Connie's Letters, December, 2012.}


If I got up in the morning and said to Jim.."Honey we need a miracle today." he would say, "Well we have needed one before..."

Well, yes we lived in a nest planted on a branch that hung over troubled waters........As long as ya didn't look down you were ok.. God often made a way for us where there was no way...Often I prayed for food.  We had 6 children to feed..One day in prayer the Lord told me to clean out my cabinets as the Lord was going to give us a lot of food.  And that was when I started buying the fruit and vegetables at the back of the store that was outdated...  I would pay like a buck or 2 for a box filled with lettuce..Most of it would be good but some of it not so good.  So I would throw the rotten parts on my compost pile. . I would have a garden in the summer with mostly tomatoes and green peppers..and cucumbers.. I always grew herbs and country flowers around the house.. I dried some of the herbs and some I froze..I loved the different basils and I would plant them in pots and then bring the basil pots into the house when the weather turned cold.. The basil would last a few months in the house by a sunny window..

At times I would get up to 15 boxes of produce from the back of the store..You had to take all of the leftover produce or not at all.  Once we got about 4 boxes of bananas..Oh mercy the boxes wouldn't even fit in the car..So we took all the bananas out of the boxes and stuffed them in the car in every available place..I had this huge freezer we had bought for a song...So I froze a lot of the bananas just as they were in the skins..  These are good for banana breads..or I would just put them in regular yeast bread.. Now this was back in the 1980's.. But we lived on about 50 bucks a week for food. . In the produce boxes I would maybe get a whole box of grapes.. I would just freeze these .. I would take the grapes off the stem and put them in Ziploc bags... I made grape juice by putting the washed grapes into a gallon jar..Then I poured boiling water over the grapes..Then a few cups of sugar..Then you just let it sit for a few days .Then sift the grapes out and throw on the compost pile. You could make a lot of grape jam too.. But I had grapes growing in my backyard and so I used these for making jam in the Fall.

I got a lot of fruits like apples and all kinds of different fruits..So I would freeze the fruits in Ziploc bags..And then in the fall when most everything was stored away, canned or dried.. Then I would make jams and jellies..We had a wild plum tree and in the Fall I would make plum butter..and can it..I didn't can the stuff from the store because they spray a lot of it ..And washing the fruit doesn't get all the spray off.  So to store the produce from the store I would freeze that..  But I made ketchup and tomato sauce etc. from my fresh tomatoes from my garden...  And about my tomatoes.. If I was real busy and didn't have time to can my tomatoes ..then I would cut them up and freeze them..Then I would use these tomatoes for chili or any kind of tomato based soups.. You can just throw these tomatoes in frozen.. I didn't even peel them if I was in a hurry, because the peeling will float to the top in the hot soup anyway and you can just ladle it off and throw the peeling away..

I guess I think to write this as winter is coming. . And it was always harder to feed my children in the winter then in the summer..love connie

* Order Connie's book, "Dear Kitchen Saints," available on Amazon. It is autobiographical and tells the beautiful story of her marriage testimony!* 

Teachings on Marriage

{From the Archives of Connie's Letters, December, 2012.}



When I was a young mom like many of you...I was so zealous for the Lord...I wanted to be used of God..And I had thoughts of wanting to be a missionary to China...or to some far off land...But I had such a horrible marriage I didn't have time to think of going anywhere..let alone out of the country.

It soon became very apparent that my mission would be to my marriage and to my child...My marriage was so impossible..Jim would leave and not tell me he was going. . And he would be gone for months..I hardly ever knew where he was..My life and home was a mess..And yet I knew some how that God had called me to be a teacher to women.

There was not much teaching on the home or in the churches at this time..This was in the early 1970's..I remember begging God to let me get a divorce..I told the Lord that Jim would never straighten up and that I needed to be free of him to do the Lord's work..The Lord and I went around and around on that one. . I would read the Word of God on marriage and divorce..It said that if the unbeliever would leave, let him go. . be at peace..Well Jim was an unbeliever but Jim never stayed gone. . he always came back.

Sometimes I didn't know what to do with him, so I would pray him home.Then he would be home a while and leave again. . He said to me once. . "You don't know what you want and I feel like a Yo-yo.." Well he was right about that..But my calling from God seemed to keep me... I wanted to do right before the Lord..I knew that if i wasn't faithful to God in my marriage...how would God ever use me for His glory in any calling?

I just felt I had to get this marriage figured out..if it took all of my life to do it..Well it did take 12 years..but it was worth the wait...The Lord taught me many things during this time..He taught me how to cook and bake.  Later some good books came out about Marriage and I read every one of the books I could.

God kept me in the hallow of His hands..He protected me until I could understand how to be a good wife..  And how to raise a family for the Lord..Mostly He taught me to submit to my husband..Thank the Lord..!! The teachings on marriage are the key teachings to about any ministry there is..Love connie

* Order Connie's book, "Dear Kitchen Saints," available on Amazon. It is autobiographical and tells the beautiful story of her marriage testimony!* 

Household Schedules

{From the Archives of Connie's Letters, April, 2013.}

Dear Mothers,

Thanks so much for sending in your home schedules..These are just suggestions to give you ideas.. One schedule i went by when my children were young and not in school yet was this one:

Get up early like by 7:00 am. and get dressed..Eat breakfast and feed the children and get them dressed for the day.. If husband has to go to work early pay close attention to him...Make his lunch if he wants you to...Be sure to have your face washed and a lil lipstick on so he will want to give you a kiss Good-Bye..Ok so try to start your work around 8:00 in the morning..Try to straighten up the house by spending about 10 min in each room...Don't do the dishes yet ..Just clear the table and put dishes in to soak ..Just straighten up the house ..like top clean each room..don't vacuum yet..just put things away..

Then around 10:00 start the family evening meal..If you plan on having meatloaf then now is the time to make this up and put it in the frig all ready for when 5:00 comes for supper...Also make your dessert and put this in the frig too..maybe make a salad and refrigerate this..Then when you want to put supper on by 5:00..its almost all done..Like maybe around 4:00 you could make mashed potatoes or some kind of potato dish, and
you will be ready for supper at 5:00..

So now it is around 11:00 in the morning ..So now do the dishes and sweep the kitchen floor..Then vacuum and make the beds..and tidy up for lunch.. Try to get this done by noon and just have something simple like leftovers or a sandwich for lunch..

Then take a nap with the children.  Lay down and read to the little ones..and you take a nap too ...Or just rest and pray and read your Bible..Then around 2:00 in the afternoon do a project..such as some deeper cleaning...Make a list of 5 things you want to do for a special cooking or cleaning job...Something special that will take a few hours to do..For example Monday clean out your closet and get rid of the clothes you don't wear..Then Tues do all the baking for the week.. Wed, start your garden. Thursday and Friday do extra cleaning for the weekend.. But this is to be done in the afternoon between about 2:00 and 4:00..

Then about 4:00 get ready for Papa to get home from work..Get supper on by 5:00..after supper sit with Papa and enjoy him and the little ones..Then around 8:00 start putting the little children to bed..Give them their bath etc..And then spend the evening with your husband...Now these are just suggestions for a young
mother..i know you older moms don't need this..love connie

* Order Connie's book, "Dear Kitchen Saints," available on Amazon. It is autobiographical and tells the beautiful story of her marriage testimony!* 

Missionary at Home

{From the Archives of Connie's Letters, May, 2009.}

 
Ya know i have told you all many times how when Jim got saved it was a new life for us,,Jim wanted to just care for his family and do what was right,,He struggled a lot with his bad temper and his jobs,,But he some how kept working ..at many different jobs,,Ya know by the time he was really healed i was a basket of missing marbles,,i had my own demons of fear to battle,,And i couldn't very well ask him to pray for me as i didn't want to reveal my fear that he would leave again,And i wasn't able to tell others either as they were wondering if he was really healed this time too,,So i suffered a really lonely Hell on earth,,i cud tell no one but Jesus ,,And finally He set me free of my fears,,And Jim was truly healed by the blood of Jesus.

 This morning as i thought of Mother Theresa i thought of how i too had to lay down my life for Jesus ..,,i knew i cud wreck Jim's healing had i revealed the terror i felt inside,,i knew God had done a work and i knew i cud make or break the miracle,,God was building me a spiritual house to bless my family..Cud i live in it,,and have the 3 more children He had promised me,,? I chose to walk as Mother Theresa did.

i saw myself as a missionary in my home..i had worn my hair sort of long and layered,,feathered ya know ..But i decided to let it grow and i wore a bandanna around my hair,,i kept it clean and brushed but hidden so i wouldn't be worried about it,i was busy let me tell you,,i cooked mostly from scratch,,Well i have told you how we went off all government help,,i went from having 500 bucks a month to having 200 a month to spend on food,,But i had counted the cost of the life i had decided to live ..And some how i decided i wouldn't turn back,,And this meant not buying new shoes for myself for yrs,,i was so busy at home i never knew what was going on in the neighborhood, ,or with friends or anything, But i had decided to be a missionary in my home,,i put down what i wanted and exalted the Lord,,i put my needs last,,We had so little ,,What kind of mother would ask for something when her little ones needed warm snowsuits for winter? i remember praying for warm socks and mittens for them,,But should i have said “Well God wants me to have the best of everything.. i am not living like this,,living poor is for the unbeliever” Heck no ,,God gives us a set of circumstances to live out,,Can He trust us to be poor if that's the hand the world has given us?..Not always the question is “Can we trust the Lord”? But can He trust us as wives and mothers? in a less then perfect life.

And growing up my family was middle class,,Dad always had nice cars for our family and a nice home,,Dad always had a good job..But i had decided to live in submission to what my husband cud give me,,i submitted to my husband as unto the Lord,,Jim had taken his place as priest of the home,,and i wanted to obey God as the virtuous wife and mother,,i became a missionary in my home,,And this was as important as going to a foreign country to give my life for Christ,Some of us are called to walk in hard places right now,,But lets show His glory in this place,,Lets not give up until we see His glory,,When our faith is tested in fire and we come out with no smell of smoke upon us then His glory will shine upon us ..and we will glorify God..
love Connie.

* Order Connie's book, "Dear Kitchen Saints," available on Amazon. It is autobiographical and tells the beautiful story of her marriage testimony!* 

Godly Submission in Marriage

{From the Archives of Connie's Letters, February 2011.}


Part 1 - Love and Marriage

Dear Wives and Mothers,,Ya know it seems that the religious world is now worried about the divorce rate,,Well i wondered when they wud worry about it,,Finallllllly they are worried about the adultry going on in the local church,,Then folks tell ya,,"Oh ya gotta go to church '..Why so i can learn to commit adultry and Praise Jesus at the same time "? i know every church isnt like that,,But basically the Christian women are divorceing as fast as the unbelievers,,Probably faster,,There new philosophy is ,,,"I am a child of the King and no man has a right to treat me like that "...Now days the unbelieveing wife seems to have at times more love and common sense then the Christian,,Prostitutes who are after our men knows shes a sinner,,so she can forgive,,and will forgive,,and will keep on comin ,,But the proud and arogant church ladies rules are "One strike and yur out"....Christian Feminism is indeed a religion and has no place in a true Christian womans home,,C.Feminism is an unholy rebellion against men,,And it is Witch Craft....And so many women are in this,,They come against the husband but they dont realise it is about to kill their childrens childhood..The woman who wont submit to her husband will submit to many gods,,She submits to her boss at work and helps him build his kingdom,,But she forgets her own home kingdom ..where she is the Queen,,She submits to every worldly god and destroys her own calling as Queen in her home,,As she wont honor her husband she shows her children the way to rebellion,,The children learn to disrespect authority,,They learn that Daddy dont know nothin,,And pretty soon this teaches them that Mommy is a jerk too..They become their own god...Now ya got some real trouble...The child runs the Home,,,

Part 2  - Godly Submission

See Wives when you try to punish your husbands all you are doing is
delaying him looking at his own faults,,He is supposed to be a MAN and take
care of himself..and face his own self...He has to stand on his own 2
feet,,No one changes because someone told them to..We all make changes when
we see we have goofed things up..and we have suffered,,then we change,,As
long as the wife stands there and needles her husband thru words and actions
then he has someone to blame..But if she keeps her eyes on Jesus and being a
godly wife and mother then she throws the guilt back on her husband for him
to deal with it,,Because he is the only one who can make a decision for his
own self..Only Jesus can woo a man to Himself,,The Holy Spirit calls to
Husbands spirit..Spirit to spirit..Only Jesus can call a man thru the Holy
Spirit..We as wives are called as helpers...We are called to serve our
husbands and to honor them and make them happy,,We are called as keepers at
home to bring honor to our men,,But we are not called to take spiritual
authority over them,,If you try to lord it over your husband and make him be
religious this is Witch Craft..It is a curse upon your husband,,and your
home,,It bindes a man and makes him ornery,,But the true wife will honor her
husband where honor is due ,,And she will build a man out of him thru love
..You do this as you submit to your husband as unto the Lord,,

Part 3

Ya know MaryL my mentor who died 3 yrs ago submitted to her husband till her last breath,, She was 78 when she died,,Russ was 82 when she died and was as strong as a bull and still is,,They had miracle healings alot..They prayed and counseled many Christians,,includeing me and Jim...Mary didnt allow strife in her house,,If Russ was mad at her ,,,it nearly killed her,,And oh Russ loved Mary,,Mary was so sweet about her dog and cats,,She wudnt get into strife even with a bird ,,Her cat Scruffy,,who was in and outside all day is 20 yrs old and acts like a kitten,..Mary slept with her animals ..She said her and Russ were their parents,..Mary kept a lovely home,She made pumpkin pie for Russ all thru the year,,just because it was his favorite,,She got up with him every morning at 4;00 A.M. to pack a lunch for him to go to work,,And always a big breakfast,,And Russ still has a job,,He has no health ins as he says he dont plan on being sick,,And no life ins as he dont plan to die,,i guess he will go up in the rapture,,And right after Jim died Mary told me i cud have Russ after she died,,And she politely died 2 yrs after Jim died,,But i cudnt keep up with Russ,,he needs someone younger..But i am tellin ya one thing,,A Godly Home is a place of miracles..Sickness or curses wont stay long in a home where the husband rules under God..and the wife submits ..Between Russ and Mary they raised 10 children and all know the Lord..This was a 2nd marriage for both of them,,love connie

 

* Order Connie's book, "Dear Kitchen Saints," available on Amazon. It is autobiographical and tells the beautiful story of her marriage testimony!*