Papa's Car

Connie's Kitchen

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

Dear Mothers,

 Oh man yesterday I had to take my Mom to the hospital for tests. . Nothing to do with anything but..well she has a lot of good insurance and they give her tests on tests and don't even know what they do with the tests..they lose them..But I have to drive Papa's car over to her house to take her car and her to the hospital.."I don't ride in any car that doesn't have air conditioning," she tells me ..So I have to drive this nice car with all the windows up, barefoot as the dang thing actually has good breaks..and runs like a top.. And God knows as soon as my tour of duty is over I can't wait to get out to Papa's car and escape through the woods home..barefoot as I drive.."That's against the law," the queen yells..

In Papa's car I have to drive with the widows down as the muffler has a whole in it and my brother told me I would get asphyxiated if I drove with the windows up..I will get it all fixed before winter. Anyway Papa always drove with the window down anyway..even in the winter.. Always smokin and blowin the smoke out the window..When ya drive that car ya work at it as if you had pedals to push under the car.. But that's how Jim and I lived all the time anyway.. And I am just used to workin at drivin the car..

Well I didn't have a license for 38 years so I was never exactly at peace when I drove anyway..But now that I must chauffeur the queen, I must be legal.. 

My neighbor Chuck who mows my lawn with a tractor accidentally backed into Papa's car a few months ago . .But we deserved it as we had at least 3 or 4 trees fall into Chuck's yard when storms came..So I told him we were now even..He said he was ok with that..Well Jim would always go over and clean Chuck's yard after the trees fell in it...But ya know I never feel Jim's presence quite so keen as I feel it in his car.. "Oh Papa I could never get rid of that car." 

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.* 

 

 

Hardworking Husband and Head of the House

Connie's Kitchen

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

 Part 1

 Our Spiritual Journey in our marriage seemed to go from the deepest part of the ocean to the gates of Heaven.We were doing really well or we were giving up. .

In the 1970's we lived in this cute lil house. . It was just Jim and I and our son Jimmy who was about 4 yrs old. . Jim took a job that was about 7 miles away. . . We had no car.. I think Jim sold our car for some reason I forget now. . Anyway this husband of mine would have to start his walk to work about 2 hrs before he had to be there. . . He had to be to work in Marion at 11:00 in the evening. . He worked nights at a bakery a town away. . So anyway he would get off work the next morning at about 7:00. . or 8:00 when all the bakery produce was made. . So it was winter and if he couldn't find a way to work he would walk to work. And most of the time he did walk to work. . No buses around here ran this late. . 

My parents were always mad at Jim for leaving the family etc. . But my dad said when He found out that Jim walked to work mostly every day in the snow. . Dad said "Well the guy has some good in him to walk to work every day in this freezing cold weather." My Dad always provided for our family. . so Dad appreciated Jim's spirit knowing what it was like to be tired after work after being on your feet for 8 or more hrs. . ."Then to have to walk home?" This was before Jim was saved. . . My Dad's words sure were an encouragement to Jim and I . . We were young at the time. . . I was only about 23 yrs old and Jim was about 29. . . 

I remember I would fix us a snack before he left for work in the evening. . . Usually we had popcorn and Kool-aid and we would watch it snow out the kitchen window. . . I would worry about him walking so far to work in the snow. But he would always say. ."Connie I will be ok.". . . He always told me, no matter what kind of mess we were in. . "Connie we will be ok."

 

Part 2 (A message taken from the archives of Connie's writings, October 2013)

 

 I think it is my forever burden about the heads of house holds and the burden I have for them in our country. . I cry out for the women  of our country to encourage our men to listen to God without a Word spoken to our husbands.......We need to pray for our country...for our children and for our husbands..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.* 

 

Our Marriage

Connie's Kitchen

 

{From the Archives of Connie's Letters. June 1, 2007.}

Part one:

Dear Mothers,

Well yesterday in the mail I received a copy of my marriage license. . I needed it to apply for Social Security. . There it was in my hands . . Jim was 25 when we married and I was 19. Our original certificate had been torn up and thrown away as it said we had been married in prison. . The one I got in the mail didn't say that, thank the Lord...

Oh that marriage certificate said so much to me..And lately as I have read the emails on the response group, and all the troubled marriages represented, the devil has said to me, "All you are doing is leading these wives off a cliff into a firey pit." My heart has been so heavy ..so troubled . . As I write I hold onto Papa's wedding ring as I read over what I have written. . The wedding ring that Papa didn't throw away. . He threw away many wedding rings in the ditch on the highway as he hitch-hiked out of town leaving me over 30 times..
 

Always my heart pined after him .. I loved him and then hated him and wanted to kill him how many times? I would beg the Lord to tell me, "Why can't we have a normal life?" or "Why do I have to go through all of this. . Don't you love me Lord?" And I couldn't figure out why the Lord would allow my kids to go through all of that.

And my mind rushes forward almost 40 years to the day Papa died in the hospital after 26 years of joy and blessing . . . I hung onto Papa's lifeless body and told him, "Papa I will miss you every day.". . And the children, I worried so much about, gave their Daddy a wonderful memorial. . I gave Jesus my life and He didn't let me down. . The chaplain at the hospital told me again and again as I stood with my 6 precious children.."I have never seen such a beautiful family or so much love shown." There were no outbursts of temper or, "Why God why?" There was only peace as we each consoled each other with hugs and words of encouragement. . I whispered into each of the children's ears. ."Always love each other and the Lord. . This is how you will forever honor your Dad."

Jim's passing was so peaceful..And I have never felt out of control concerning it..I have missed my old Darling but always felt it was the Lord's will that he died when he did..Jim told me many times he was dying and he prepared me and then he died..And I have no regrets..I fought him at first over it..it was a time when I was very out of submission..But then Jim tried to tell me a week later.  As I look back now, I can see in my spirit that I had accepted it as Papa told me it had to be...I had learned to submit to him ..He was my lord on earth, and Jesus was my Lord of all..

And now as I get Jim's Social Security and live in the family home he paid off, I remain as God called me at 19 years old.. a wife to Jim..Papa's helper..I will always be Jim's glory.

 

Part 2

 And later on after Jim died I had a vision...I was at the back of a church and was dressed up. . Jim kept pointing me to the front of the church...Jim always introduced me to everyone he knew if we were at the grocery store or whatever. . I didn't want to be introduced and so I would pretend to be doing something else..So in my dream it was common that Jim would want to introduce me to Jesus..So in my dream Papa was trying to escort me down the aisle to Jesus. . Jim said, "This is your new husband." I love the Lord but I didn't want to hear that He was my husband on earth. . I am still not doing very well with that one as I feel Jim about me all the time. . . My heart still clings to Jim as my husband.

But dear suffering wives who read my writings.  . Oh my heart suffers with you. . And maybe you won't get a miracle as I had. . But I have to hang onto the fact that God didn't let me down..He just didn't let me down..He gave me a miracle and I enjoyed it to the hilt..I got to have 3 more children after Jim was saved and I homeschooled for I think about 18 years...I had the family I had dreamed of ..and prayed for. . I come out of 12 years of a horrid marriage without so much as the smell of smoke upon me. . As the Lord had told me, "Connie don't worry.. all is gonna be alright," and it was. . .

Older believers used to tell me, "Connie you can't out give God." And I never understood that. . . I do now. . .Wives you can't out give the Lord. . . All that you give to Him in faith and trust He will give you back a double blessing.

My suffering for that 12 years was nothing compared to the Joy I had later for many years. . And all that I teach on here is the truth and will line up with the Word of God..It's true and cannot be denied. . And you can never argue with a person who has a testimony. . I lived the truth of His Word and God gave me exceeding and abundantly more than I could ask or think.

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.* 

 

Peace in the Home

Connie's Kitchen

{From the Archives of Connie's Letters. October 6, 2009.}

  Ya know Jim and I went through Hell and high water, but the end of our married lives was peace.  No we didn't have perfect lives around here but we were happy.  

Oh my gosh we were poor. . . We ate lots of cornbread and biscuits and gravy, Gobs of mashed potatoes and every meal began with one pound of hamburger.  Mary still says I make hamburgers like no one else.  Well I always used the hamburger with all the fat in it, it was cheaper. . The kids now - days buy more lean meat.  Man we lived on fat.  All of my kids were thin and Jim too.  I got fatter as the kids got older.  But I was always really thin when the kids were babies.

But we as wives need to learn to be wives again and old-fashioned mothers. We are called to be home and to pray for our families.  We are to be raising priests and prophets and handmaidens for God.

We live in a rotten society.  But that doesn't mean that the Bible has changed, Or that God changed His mind on a wife's call to domestication and holiness.  

And it don't matter if the adult kids are livin' like Hell.  Who cares, we are to pray for them until they get it right.  We gotta get in the dirt with 'em and help them out.  Fear screams at us that we cant do that.  But yeah we were sinners once so we can get down in the dirt with the kids.  Well God can't.  He is holy.  But He expects us to have mercy on our own flesh and blood.  It don't matter how old they are.

Oh I want to say so much to you wives and moms as a Titus 2 mother.  I want to teach you to be equipped for every good work.  I just wanna say, "Don't look at the world and what it is doing in this age. Just do what the Word says even though it may seem out of date, it isn't. The teachings in the Word for women are true.  It says we are to be chaste, discreet keepers at home. 

Be pure in all things.  Do what is right dear moms. Give your lives to the Lord and serve Him.  Be missionaries in your homes.  Raise your children for the Lord with whatever you have.  Be Marys and Elisabeths. . . Sarahs and Ruths.  Let these Bible prophetess' be your examples. Draw and woo your husbands through prayer to be men of God.  Be their sword bearers and helpers.  Pray for them until you see His glory."

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 Adventures of Being a Wife

Connie's Kitchen

{From the Archives of Connie's Letters. May 16, 2011.}


(Part 1)

Why do we think that we should have a perfect marriage that goes along with the world without a hitch?

 Really, the Bible says that we as wives should sacrifice as Christ did on the cross. . . And the husband too is to be as Christ to the wife. . . He is as the priest of the home.  We are to become one with our husbands and one in Christ. . . And that don't come overnight.  

Jim and I really never understood each other or communicated very well in the flesh.  But in the area of faith we moved freely. . . We saw many miracles. . . Not that Jim was religious, but he seemed to understand faith for the impossible.  He pushed me in the spirit to believe and I pushed him. . . I feel I have a lot to say on this, but to put it into words?  I followed Jim. . . And even now, as he went to Heaven, I seem to want to follow him. . . Well I do follow him.  I loved him in the spirit. . . And my spirit is always with him.

We weren't perfect. . . We saw in part dimly, but in heaven we will see it all clearly.  Jim used to sing this old song.  Here are the words:  "My Prayer is to linger with you. . .At the end of the day. . . for as long as we live."  I have been singing this song this morning.  I am sure Jim hears me.  Jim always said I saved his life.   And the truth is, he saved mine too. . . We were called for each other. . .


(Part 2)


I hear many women say, "Well, I married the wrong guy.  No wonder it didn't turn out right."  But God hates divorce . . . The Lord says to stay with the one you are married to.  Why do we think our marriages have to be perfect to be blessed? We are called as helpers to each other. . . To fit into each other. . .  to fit into God's plan for our lives.  

Out of my marriage to Jim, I became a Titus 2 mother. . . Jim became a loving, endearing father.  We pushed and pulled on each other's spirit for many years.   The bottom dropped out many times. We had to believe for the possible out of impossibilities. But it was good for us.  God called us, to tell us,"All things are possible to those who CAN BELIEVE."

We were called to live out a life of miracles.  The hard times are when we learn to use spiritual muscles we forgot we had. . . Reading books on faith is a good thing.  But you can't learn how to use faith until you have to.  

I think the message here is, "All is well."  All things work together for good to those who love God, and are called according to His purpose. . . Also, "be sure to dance with whoever brought ya."


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.* 

Faith and Homemaking

Connie's Kitchen

{From the Archives of Connie's Letters. May 23, 2012.}


 Ya know Mary L., my mentor, was so spiritual. .  . She spent
a lot of time laying face down before Jesus' feet praying. . . She was a great woman of prayer. . . And through her I met a lot of women of prayer.  I do feel a great urgency to talk to you about spiritual things, along with the homemaking spirit. 

 I think we need to know our way around the spiritual realm too. . . Things seem to get worse by the day for our country.  We need to
be strong in the Lord and in His power.  I remember when Jim was first saved and we were trying to make it as a family.  I felt so absolutely lost. I know some of you feel that way too. . I hear ya. 

Well anyway, Mary L. started these classes called, "The Philosophy of Womanhood." We ladies would get together at Mary's house every week and listen to a tape. Then we had worksheets to do each class too. . . Every week I felt washed in the Word of God.  I wouldn't be here today, I don't think, had I not had those tapes. 

Well then later on a friend copied these tapes for me and I listened to them every day here at home.  I wore the tapes out.  I would have 2 tape recorders going: one in the kitchen on homemaking, and one in the living room on faith.  So I could hear the recordings all over the house at different times.  And that's what it is all about. . . Faith and homemaking. . . It isn't all homemaking and it isn't all Faith.  They have to go together.  And Mary L. loved her homemaking and her family.  She loved her dishes and enjoyed having folks over for a meal. She would make wonderful recipes.

She was sick for just a short while before she died at, I think, 78 years old.  But right up to the end she was cooking and cleaning, ironing and sewing.

 Russ, her husband,  still goes to work every day. . . He is 84, I think.  But when she was alive, they lived like they did in their 40's or 50's.  Every day they got up at 4:30.  Mary fixed Russ's lunch for work and a big breakfast.  While Russ was at work, Mary was at home doing her homemaking. Mary said when she would get mad at Russ, she would tell Jesus about it. . And she said the Lord would say to her, "Mary, do you have all of Russ's laundry done? Do you have all of the buttons sewn on his work shirts? And are they ironed?"  Mary was so sweet.   I sure do miss 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.* 

Weak Women

Connie's Kitchen

{From the Archives of Connie's Letters. July 15, 2009.}



 Weak women will have many masters, and none will treat them right.  They refuse to submit to their husbands - as Priest of the home. . . And in so doing, they will submit to many masters. . .The world will guide them. They will listen to every preacher on the radio and try to make their husbands obey the latest TV preacher .  . .the one they thought was "right on". . .Well everyone said he was the best Bible teacher alive today, so wife thinks husband should obey him, hands down. . Never mind that Husband hasn't even heard the latest TV preacher. Heck, he just got home from work. . . He ain't thinkin' of anything except, "Hey Honey, what's for supper??"

 Of course Honey don't have supper on, as she is reading her Bible being spiritual. . . And she wonders why her husband isn't saved yet.  If a wife will put her husband first, then its okay to listen to TV and radio preachers.   But these men are not your authority in your home. . . Your husband is the head of the home. . . We are to reverence and praise our husbands. . . not our preachers. . .We wives are to glorify our husbands. We are their glory and they are to be God's glory. . . Our glory is our long hair, or our covering, before our husbands. . . As we, on purpose, veil ourselves or grow our hair long for our covering, then this speaks of our meek and quiet spirit. . .This is our beauty, our submissive, meek spirits. We need to run our homes to please our husbands, to make them happy.

You ask, "okay, when do I get waited on? When is it my turn to rest and have time to myself?" . . . I don't know. . . seriously, until the last few years I never even heard a woman ask that question. . . 

Most women, since the beginning of time, pretty much knew that her work as wife and mother was NEVER done. . . "Man was to work from sun to sun but a woman's work was never done." . . . We had 6 children. . . Often a lil' one would keep me up all night. . . But then, when the alarm went off, and I had barely had any sleep, I got up with my husband to make his coffee and send him off to work with a smile. I most always walked him out to the car and threw kisses to him as he drove away. . Sometimes I pretended to race him to the corner as I ran down the street, just to make him laugh. Yeah it was a lot of work, but I was married for almost 40 years, so it was worth it. 

I never lost any of my kids.  I kept the family fed and cared for on very little income.  I worked at it, believe me. . . And my husband did praise and bless me in the end. . . and my children also. . . So yes, it was worth it.

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.* 

He Supplies Our Needs - Mother's Prayers

Connie's Kitchen

{From the Archives of Connie's Letters. July 28, 2011.}



Part 1   "He Supplies Our Needs"



 Dear Mothers,

As I write to you all this morning, I am writing to so many
different ones with worries of different things. . . As a young mom, with a houseful of children of all ages, I had many worries too. . I remember one time when our car was giving us fits, we ended up with no money at all. . We spent it all on the car so Jim could get to work. We spent all of our grocery money. . . 

Well Jim was working at the airport as a shuttle driver. He made
tips so we would have some lil bit of money to use for groceries.  My cupboards were bare as I hadn't had any money for groceries for 2 weeks. I was sitting thinking of all of this at the License plates place as Jim stood in line.  

We were buying an old car to keep us going for a while. . It was summer and I was so hot.  I had 50 cents in my purse and spent it on a can of pop.  Chrissy was taking care of the children at home. I had needed some quiet time to pray so I had gone with Jim.

As I sat there in the coolness of the air conditioner, I could pray and think. It just came to me to trust in the Lord to take care of
us. When we got home to the children, I sat down in the chair in the
living room. . I thought, "What will I fix for supper?" Sis handed me an envelope. "Here Mom, Mrs. Trecek stopped by to give you this literature for The Good News Club." 

Well I had a little Bible Club for the children in our neighborhood. . Anyway I decided to sit and look through the literature in the
envelope. . So I was looking at the papers and noticed a check. . I thought, at first glance, that it was a check for the supplies for the Bible Club. .


Part 2   "Mother's Prayers"



Well I looked again at the check and it was made out to me for $650. I thought I was seeing  things. . I couldn't believe it. . 

Well Wildman was out in the driveway putting the license plates on the car. . I was jumpin up and down in the house praising the Lord.  One of the kids ran out and told Jim the news. . OMG. . . did that money ever come at the right time.  I mean we were up a crick without a paddle to say the least, and we still had 5 children at home.  

I called Mrs. Trecek and thanked her.  I hadn't even talked to her for weeks, but God told her we needed help. . She did this many times when we were just sunk. The kids called her "Our Fairy God Mother." She loved our family and we loved her. 

 I talked to John recently about this.  I said, "John we lived from one Miracle to the next one." Johnny said, "Mom it was a way of life for us."

My prayers, dear Sisters, were a way of trade instead of money.  I would pray for hours if we ran out of money.  I would put the kids to bed at 8:00 and pray until Jim got off work at about 12 midnight.  I just told my kids that they had to go to bed and read as I had to pray.  I would say, "Ya wanna eat? Then I gotta pray." I would pray for tips for Jim at work. . 

But you can make it, dear Sisters of a New Revolution. . God can give you the money you need through prayer.  I mean, do your homemaking and cook and bake and be productive.  But make sure you pray and believe God. . Yes we should all have our gardens, if we can, but God can supply your needs through many avenues. .

 He has a plan for you to make it. . Reach Him through prayer.  We need to spend hours in prayer and seeking Him.  If you could fast too this will give you more power. . Yes do your house work and care for the baby.  Stay in an attitude of prayer, is what I guess I mean.  I used to rock my babies and sing songs to Jesus. 

 Keep your eyes on Jesus, and His provisions, instead of on the problems.

Love Connie

* 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.* 

An Old Fashioned Family



{From the Archives of Connie's Letters. February 16, 2012.}




Dear Mothers,

I was the first-born in my family, and then I had 2 younger brothers. . . Dad fought in W.W.2.. .. and I was a Baby Boomer. 

But then Jim was born into an old fashioned family. . . He was the 12th child out of 13 children. My Mother was a modern Millie. Dad was an up- to- date guy.  But as a child I loved the old fashioned ways.

Jim was born into a well established old timey family. He loved just plain, black coffee ...and drank it with his meals sometimes. He would take my homemade bread, after it got hard, and he would then crumble it up in a bowl...put sugar on it, and milk, and eat it like cereal. . . He loved radish sandwiches. . The Old timers would make anything into a sandwich.  Jim would eat cucumber sandwiches too.  

As a boy he would work for some of the farmers in their town. . . He would spend all day topping onions. . . So he hated onions..  When we first married, Jim asked me to make bread pudding. . . I had no idea how to do that. . . I had never heard of such a thing. But I learned how and made many pans of  bread pudding.

Jim also loved hamburger gravy.   He loved anything with gravy.  Creamed Eggs was another meal he asked me to make. . . As a young wife I had sure never heard of that. . . All you do is hard-boil some eggs and chop up the eggs in a white gravy. .We would eat this on biscuits or just plain buttered toast. . . Our Mary loves creamed eggs too. . . Sometimes, if I had cheese, I would add some cheese to the white  gravy. . . Sometimes if I ran out of meat we would have fried potatoes and fried eggs for a late supper.

The old timers didn't eat a lot of snacks between meals either. . . Jim loved homemade cakes and pies and peanut butter cookies. . . But he didn't really want a lot of  store bought desserts. . 

In the summer, we loved our garden. We ate fresh tomatoes along with every meal, even for breakfast.  Jim loved plain tomato sandwiches too. . 

Love Connie

 PS Another thing Jim's mom made for her family, that I have never made, was fried bananas. . I think you just fry them in a skillet in butter. . and then put powdered sugar on them when they are done cooking.

* 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.* 

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!* 

The Message of the Hour for the Family

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

I never learned one spiritual thing from folks feelin' sorry for me, or on a bed of ease.  I think I learned most of what I know from the hard times.

When I would go up for a prison visit, I would ask Jim how he was doing? He would say "Just doin' time. . . Hard time.." And it was hard...but in those times we learned how to follow Jesus. . . I did go through the fire. . and it was hot with many trials . . But I feel that the Lord rewarded me and gave me more peace then what a lot of folks have.

I am very peaceful here at home. . . I just feel the angels around me. I feel God's love surrounding me. . . If I do get down or depressed, I just read my Bible until I feel better.

But it is the truth that will set us free and nothing else. . . And if a true believer tells us something to help us, we should listen. . . I have been praying so hard lately.  I can see that I have gotten so generic lately.

Ya know I like Benny Hinn, the TV evangelist? I don't get him on my TV lately as I don't have cable. . . But I used to have cable and I would watch him here and there . . . And as I was watching him one day I said out loud, "Ya know if the preacher would ask the audience, 'How many here need healing of the body?' I bet it would be about a fourth, maybe, of the people need healing of the body. . . But then if Pastor Hinn asked, 'How many folks need a healing for their broken families?' I would imagine about the whole audience would need a healing for the family. . . Because the TRUTH is not told."

Christians are running around marrying and divorcing like crazy. And then after a divorce, Mother has to go work and the children's lives are turned upside down. . . And ya know Benny and his wife separated . . . then in 2010 they divorced. .  . But just lately they went back together.  I think the Lord allowed this to happen to the Hinn family because it won't be long and he and his family will be preaching about the restoration of the family.  Now we will get somewhere in the body of believers.

This is why I feel so thankful that Mrs. Nancy Campbell put my testimony on her Facebook again and I was able to update it.  Because, to me, the message on the healing of the marriage has got to be the message of the hour. . .

Love Connie

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

Do Not Mother Your Husband

 {From the Archives of Connie's Letters, October 2002. "Men of God"}



 Dear Wives,

I have a bit more time to write so wanted to share some
thoughts. . . Speaking of men of God. . . don't mother your husband.  Let him be responsible for his own sins. . . Don't be like Moses and stand between God's wrath and the sinners. Get out of the way, and let God deal with your husband. 

 And how does this  work?  Quit being the Holy Spirit to your husband. . Learn in quietness and submission. . Learn in silence.

Your husband is not your god. Jesus Christ had better be your God.. Your husband won't take ya to heaven. . And - NEWS FLASH - we as Christian wives aren't here to be comfortable and go to Women's Bible Studies all day..We are here to bring our families to Jesus Christ. .We are to be helpers to our husbands. .by following them. If they don't treat us as weaker vessels, then their prayers won't be answered. 

Oh yeah, they had better treat us right. .Trouble is that God can't
chastise them, as he would have to blow us to kingdom come to get to our men. . We mother them and stand in the way.

No man of God needs to be mothered. . He has to learn to stand on his own two feet; and if he sins, he gets to pay for it. . But when your husband sins, you don't need to get after him about it. .You can just enjoy him and love him and pray for him. . . Let him do his business with God.

Often wives worry so much over their husband's sins that all they do all day is sit and worry. . This is crazy and causes you wives to sin. . You aren't doing your housework, or looking after the children. You are in sin, and worry, and fear. 

 You must pray like crazy for your man. . and get the victory, and treat your husband like he is a preacher of the Gospel. . .You WON'T make it no-how on your own .  . keeping your husband in the DOG HOUSE.  . And chewin' on him all the time like an old dog. . No, be free in Christ. . God brought you to the Lord without anyone chewin' on you. . Let that poor man go and quit buggin' him and watching him like he was a baby.  

He is a man made in God's image. . He is the glory of God, and you are the glory of your husband. . You are to help this man to the Lord. . Not by your mouth and your vain instructions. . But by your silence . . by your good works and example.

You must never lie to your husband. . . Don't sow lies into your marriage.  No .  . not at any cost. . Don't lie about how much money you have in your purse hoping to save some back for a rainy day.  No. . tell the truth to your husband even if it brings you harm. . I mean don't tell him about past loves or whatever . . no. . That's under the blood.  But I mean about household matters of business. . Some men have lied so much they don't know how to tell the truth. Well you must never lie. . let them see this example of Godliness. 

 Don't let them be babies by taking their place as breadwinners. . Don't lighten their loads by taking over for them in matters of manhood. . Be a woman to them. . Stay in your place as keeper at home. 

There used to be an old saying, "If you want your man to be more of a man. . then you be more of a woman." And that is so true. . . Don't cross over your line of womanhood to instruct your sissy husband. . Let him sink or swim.   Stand on the scriptures that say that his prayers won't be answered, if he doesn't treat you as the weaker vessel.


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!* 

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!* 

Living From Scratch

 {From the Archives of Connie's Letters. January 2010.}


Part One

Well I wanted to write in the subject line,"Cooking From Scratch."  But really I want to write about living from scratch. 

I went to a prayer meeting yesterday.  I had a lot of fun with Terry and her husband ..They took me out for lunch after the meeting.  I just loved it.  Terry's new husband Joseph is very spiritual and interesting.  This couple is loving and humble and know what true treasures are.  Anyway they want to buy an acreage and live off the land.  At lunch we talked about how to make cheese etc. .

Back in the old days when we decided to homeschool, it was against the Iowa state law.  So we quit getting any help from the state like food stamps etc..  For me it was like getting hit over the head with a sack of potatoes ..  With food stamps, I had 500 a month to spend on groceries.  Jim could only afford to give me 200 a month out of his paycheck for groceries.  But that was okay with me.  I knew he was being honest about it.  He had to pay the house payment and the other bills.  We had to keep a roof over our heads.

We had 6 children to care for.  Well 5 at home at the time.  Jimmy [the oldest] was in the Navy.  But he came home often ..We all missed him a lot.  I had an idea of how to cook from scratch only, but hadn't done it as a way of life for so many people at one time.  It takes a lot of planning.  You can learn to cook from scratch ..You can learn about herbs and gardening, saving your own heirloom seeds each year to plant in the spring.

 Ya know we women should stay home more.

You can quit going to the Beauty Salon to get your hair died, permed, and frizzed.  You can wear a scarf on your head and forget it.  Scarves on your head make you look mysterious, like you are up to something. Or better yet wear a cowboy hat with your apron.  Just stay home and learn womanly ways.  The old time Mothers got up with the chickens and started biscuits or bread of some kind for the day.  She spent time in the kitchen.  I always got up early too, usually to write.  But when I got up I would always be thinking of feeding my army.

So while I wrote, I was frying a pound of hamburger with onions for an afternoon Hamburger, Vegetable Soup.  I made the soup here and there as I passed the kitchen. . . Writing, thinking, cleaning vegetables as I went about my morning.  It was a way of life. . . I kept the morning quiet ya know.  I didn't vacuum. . just did what I had to do as it was my time to write and pray.

But then about 6:00 in the morning I got the kids up for homeschool.  They showered and helped with chores, and I fed them breakfast.  But then I didn't have much time then to fix a lunch.  I was so busy with the kids and school work all morning.  But that meal made in the wee hours of the morning saved me for the day.

Also I would start my bread early too if I needed to.  If we had to go some place in the morning, we had that meal to come home to.  Otherwise we would have been tempted to buy fast food that we couldn't afford.  And I would be exhausted when we got home after getting up so early in the morning.  So to come home to a big pot of vegetable soup was such a comfort.

And after lunch I always rested.  This was when my children did their reading for book reports.  I rested for a few hours.  Then back to the kitchen to do more cooking.

Part 2

 I loved to see Wildman buy a 50 pound bag of potatoes and haul them over his shoulder at the grocery store.  Or 25 pounds of flour over his shoulder.  Oh what a cowboy I married.  He brought home the bacon and his wife fried it. I worked like a dog keeping up with Wildman and his seeds.

His 4 sons were creative like him, and still are.  Our home was dominated by boys growing into men.  The boys sat at the table and watched Jim heap his creamed peas or corn over his mashed potatoes and gravy, and they ate the same way.  Well not Jimmy as he was too educated to do such a thing.  David always says "Are you sure Jimmy is one of us?"  Jimmy was raised as an only child by primarily a hippy Jesus freak ..that would be me.  My life was a fright and I was afraid to have another child.  But then when Jimmy was 7, I got the Holy Ghost and thought I could do anything.  So I preceded to have 5 more children. . What the heck. .

I had to do a lot of creative thinking to keep my family afloat.  I did a lot of praying, on and off.   As my washers and dryers would break down, I used a wringer washer, and my back yard clothes line.  I used an old garden rake to hold up the middle of the clothes line rope as it sagged.  I didn't have a drain to drain the washer so I drained it into buckets.  Then I had the kids take the buckets out to the garden and water the vegetables.

I loved my 2 wringer washers.  I wasn't wasting water.  I did 3 loads of wash at a time.  Well I could use the same water for a 4th load to do rag rugs.  Anyway you can still buy wringer washers.. I know the Lehman's catalog has them.  Wringer washers save on so much water.  And it's easy to use your used up soapy water for the garden.  The soap in the water keeps the bugs out, especially in a cabbage patch.  And in a drought, the water comes in handy.

Anyway I used my wringer washer to wash all of our clothes.  Also I made my own laundry soap. But I used lye and I guess ya cant get it now at the stores.  Maybe from Lehman's catalog or on the internet.

It was a lot of work to live like we did.  But to me it was a mission or calling.  I believed God had given me my children to train for Him.  I knew I wasn't to go out to work.  So I knew God had a plan for me.  I knew He could teach me how to make it on only 50 bucks a week for everything.  I didn't know how . . .But God showed me in the wee hours of the morning when I would get up to pray.  I was confident that He knew what He was doing. . . I knew I didn't. . . but He showed 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!*