In time past many of us would laugh off the thought of thinking ahead to Christmas in July. In July it is easy to be proud procrastinators.

Today’s economy has changed that privilege for many families. Nowadays everything we can do in advance serves not only to save money but our time too. Thinking ahead this month will pave the way for a more peaceful and rewarding holiday with family and friends. Here are some ideas to jumpstart the coming holiday season…

Special Occasions Binder.
In 2005 Anita Cramer shared the idea of creating a binder with MMCW to keep up with all the lists and ideas associated with Christmas. Taking her idea a step further, my binder includes all the events my family celebrates throughout the year. I can quickly pinpoint family holiday recipes, card lists, gift lists, or party menus without tearing the house apart. Better yet, I have a place to put ideas for family gatherings I compile during the year from magazines and online reading.

My binder is a simple $4 binder from Wal-Mart. Sections are divided with tabs and include: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Gift List, Christmas Card List, Homemade Goodie Ideas, Christmas Recipes, Christmas Parties, New Years, Valentine’s Day, 4th of July, Birthdays, and Mother’s/Father’s Day. I use page protectors to house pages torn from magazines, recipes, and gift receipts. If you do not have a binder, set one up this month. Just putting copies of your family’s favorite Christmas recipes in one spot will save you time come December.

Right on Schedule.
Take a look at your calendar right now. Odds are you have few events scheduled presently for November and December. Guard as many of those free days for your family as possible. Be intentional during the months ahead and use your time–and your binder–to stay ahead of the holiday rush. Pencil in events you know will be happening during December in the margin of the calendar. Only list essential events and feel free to set a boundary now around your December time.

Strategize Now.
Sit down and write your gift recipient list for 2010 and assign a monetary amount to each person. Be realistic–do not forget Christmas stockings gifts too! The beauty of planning Christmas in July is that you have plenty of time to find a $25 gift for $5 in the clearance section of stores. Do not put down a $25 gift amount on the list when you know that your budget is realistically $5.

Make hard decisions this month.
If you cannot afford to give gifts to extended family this year, have the discussion now. Choosing to draw names or set spending limits are alternatives. You may be surprised to find everyone else just as relieved about the change. Having a list along with a budget will help to avoid the burden of overspending in December. Keep a master list in your binder and a small copy in your purse. I keep my list on a folded piece of paper in my wallet.

Eyes Wide Open.
The key to Christmas in July is keeping our eyes alert for deep discounted summer sales. Around July 4th I visit the Disney store for 75% off beach towels and toys. During the same time period Target begins clearing out to make room for Christmas toys. By the first of August, Christian bookstores such as Lifeway mark selected home decor, books, jewelry, and CDs anywhere from 75% to 90% off. With the economy in its current state, do not be surprised to find deeper discounts than usual at the mall from clothing retailers. There are great fall and winter clothing sales to be had now at name brand stores. Just last weekend, I bought two fall blouses and a pair of jeans for $16. Finally, don’t rule out yard sales. I once bought four American Girl dolls in mint condition for $25 each at a yard sale. Never underestimate the power of the Lord to provide just what you are looking for within your budget.

Every Little Bit Counts
Do you have craft projects that would make perfect Christmas gifts? July is the perfect time to pull them together. If you like making homemade goodies, right now is the time for gathering jars for blueberry jam or maybe fig preserves. Are you a scrapbooker? Use extra supplies to create some gifts for teen scrapbookers in your family or even make an album for someone special. Make a photo CD set to music of last Christmas to give as gifts this year to family. Pick up a $5 Sonic gift card or maybe $10 iTunes cards. (Yes, $10 iTunes cards exist. They come in packs of three at Wal-Mart.)

Here are some craft projects I’m eyeing for this year:

Tea Wreaths

Washer Necklaces

Rice Bag Warmers

Framed Fabric Mon0gram

For plenty of ideas be sure to also look through our 12 Days of Christmas series. You’ll find recipes, gift ideas, devotions, and organizational tips.

How do you plan to plan ahead for Christmas 2010?

Do you have your Father’s Day menu planned? Neither do I! Here are some great looking recipes I just may try this year. If you have a favorite recipe or menu, share it with all of us by commenting!

A Chicken Wing!…Sweet thai chili sauce, hoisin sauce, and brown sugar wings–sure to be a Dad–and family fave.

Marinated London Broil…One of Loi’s recipes from our website recipe box. A can of Coke and a bottle of teriyaki sauce for the marinate  sounds easy and marvelous!

Argentinean Steaks and Yellow Rice with Plantains…Now this looks yummy for Father’s Day. Plus, this is a great site for all kinds of recipes.

I love making ice cream cakes in the summer.  My family loves eating them so much that they now ask for them all year long, as it has become their preferred birthday cake.  And it couldn’t be easier to put one together!  Don’t be alarmed by the fact that there are several steps; each step takes just a minute or two and the results are well worth it!

Ingredients and supplies:

3 flavors of ice cream

Prepared cake (optional)

Saran wrap

Prep Time:  Hands On: 20 minutes  Freeze Time: 3 hours

• Start by setting one carton of ice cream out to soften for about 20 minutes.  You will want to choose either the flavor you want the most of, or the color of ice cream which will be visible on the outside of the cake.
• While the ice cream softens, place a large rounded mixing bowl in the freezer to chill.  A glass or ceramic bowl will work much better than a plastic one.
• Remove the mixing bowl from the freezer and line the bowl with saran wrap.  You may need more than one sheet if it is a large bowl; it is fine to overlap the sheets.
• Scoop out the ice cream into a stand mixer with the paddle blade attached and beat until the ice cream is smooth and spreadable, about 2 minutes.

• Using a rubber spatula, spread the ice cream into the prepared bowl, leaving an indentation in the middle and spreading the ice cream up the sides of the bowl.

• Put the bowl in the freezer for an hour or until the ice cream is firm.
• Repeat the steps with the second flavor of ice cream; unless your bowl is extremely large, you won’t need an entire carton for flavor # 2.
• Once the second layer has become firm, repeat once more with flavor #3.  You’ll use the least amount of this ice cream.  Make sure to completely fill the indentation in the middle of the ice cream bombe, taking care to smooth off the bottom so that it will sit flat.  Return it to the freezer once more for the final freeze.

• Some members of my family prefer to have a cake layer on the bottom of the ice cream bombe.  I usually bake up 1/3 of a cake mix in an 8” round pan (using the rest of the mix for cupcakes) and press the cooled layer onto the bottom of the bombe.  Freeze again to bond the cake layer to the ice cream.  Another option is to purchase angel food or sponge cake and press pieces of that onto the bottom layer.  Other times we don’t add a cake layer at all, and just enjoy the full flavor of the ice cream.

• To unmold the cake, tip it upside down onto a platter.  Wet a dish towel under hot water and wring it out; then place it on top of the bowl.  Repeat until the cake begins to loosen enough to slide out of the bowl.  Remove the saran wrap and serve as is, or embellish with cool whip.

Flavor options:

When the ice cream bombe is tipped out of the bowl it looks like a half circle.  One of our favorite summer ice cream bombes calls for lime sherbet for the outer layer, a thin layer of vanilla ice cream in the middle, and strawberry sorbet for the inner layer.  We crush up chocolate wafer cookies and mix them into the strawberry sorbet layer before putting it in the mold.  When this bombe is cut, it looks like sliced watermelon!

Another fun bombe uses any red ice cream or sorbet for the outside layer; decorate with chocolate wafer cookies to simulate a lady bug.  Use a cupcake for the head and thin black licorice for antennae.

My most requested ice cream bombe is Black Forest Cherry Bombe.  We use chocolate chip cherry, chocolate, and vanilla ice cream, and a layer of German chocolate cake for the base.  Once the finished cake is tipped out onto a platter I cover it with cool whip and dot the cake with canned sour cherries which have been drained and patted dry.

Psalm 23 Memorial Day Tribute

Click through to watch this moving video honoring our soldiers who have fought and are fighting for our nation. Today take time to pray for our fighting men and women–let’s not forget or take for granted their mighty service. Make the Lord keep His hand upon them.

^“On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”  

“Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied, “My time has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

“Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

“This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.” John 2: 1-11

Goals for Your Wedding Day

1.  We will make our wedding a worship experience by…making Jesus the very first person we invite.

2.  Resolving to make it a worship service, rather than a production.

3.  Setting our goal to be married, not just to get married.

4.  Praising the Creator, rather than calling attention to us.

5.  Setting a budget to honor God rather than to impress people.

6.  Publicly honoring our parents and grandparents.

7.  Remembering it is Christ, not the pastor who really marries you.

8.  Call attention on your wedding day to our true future hope – the second coming of Christ (the wedding supper of the Lamb.)  “Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory!  For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.” Revelation 19:7

Some Serious Questions to consider:

Will people remember Jesus more than the two of you when the day is over?

Is the presence of Christ truly welcome in all your festivities including at the reception?

Will the people who attend catch a glimpse of heaven?

Remember, marriage is for better for worse for keeps.

In the early 1800s as Henry Ward Beecher stepped up to the podium of Plymouth Church to preach, he found a letter awaiting him. He opened it and found it contained only one word:  “Fool.”

With becoming seriousness he announced to the church the contents of the letter. Then he said, “I have known many an instance of a man writing a letter and forgetting to sign his name, but this is the only instance I have ever known of a man signing his name and forgetting to write the letter.”

There are times when we all feel like fools whether someone calls us one or not. Most of us don’t really need a special day—April’s Fool’s Day—to remind us of those times. Shakespeare put it this way: “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.”

In our highly technical age, it is impossible to know everything about anything. Science says that we use no more than 10 percent of our brain’s capabilities. (And this is more evident in some than in others.)

In a practical sense, we must choose the areas in which we intend to remain ignorant. I have chosen nuclear physics, advanced calculus, and anything more mechanical than an electric can opener.

While ignorance can be bliss in some things, to be ignorant in vital matters is worse than foolish. It is asinine. I heard of two women who were looking through a colorfully-decorated card shop in California. Pastel Easter bunnies, chicks, baskets, and eggs filled the shelves and were suspended from the ceiling. One of the women picked up a card with a cross on it and was heard to remark to her friend, “Will you look at this? They’re even dragging religion into Easter now!”

This year Good Friday falls the day after April Fool’s Day. At first blush it may seem a travesty to have April Fool’s Day fall so close to a holy day like Good Friday. But God made the first connection. He said through Paul, “The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God (1 Cor. 1:18).

In other words, the only foolishness about the cross is in the minds of those who consider it too simple to be true or worthy of investigating.

On the first Easter Jesus, in His resurrected body, joined two of His followers as they walked to Emmaus mourning the death of the one they had hoped would be the Messiah. He didn’t allow them to recognize Him

Jesus said to them, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory?” Luke 24:25-26.

There are, by biblical definition, many kinds of fools. The believer, like those on the Emmaus road, who has not gone far enough in faith to have peace and assurance. Or the fool who has said in his heart “No God.” Or the rich fool who planned to increase his storehouses, take it easy, eat, drink and be merry—not knowing it was his last day on earth. Or those like Paul who, undeterred by what anyone thought, became a “fool for Christ’s sake.”

An old song asks, “What kind of fool am I?” On April Fool’s Day—before the holiest days of the year—it’s still a good question.

To leave a comment:

• If you are reading this post in email form, click the article headline. This will take you to the article on MMCW’s website.
• Scroll down until you see the box entitled ‘Speak Your Mind’.
• Enter your name, email (it will not be published) and your website or blogsite if you have one (you do not have to have one).
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Have you decided what to serve for lunch on Easter yet? Make lunch as easy as possible on yourself. Several of the menu items can be made in advance. This year plan to serve:

Ham or fried chicken
Twice-baked potato casserole
Crock-pot string beans
Spinach salad
Peach delight
Biscuits
Caramel cake

For easy clean up and to produce a juicy ham I always bake mine in a baking bag. (Baking bags can be found on the aisle with plastic wrap and aluminum foil.)

Fried chicken from either Wal-mart or Publix is always a great option.  Call on Saturday to reserve a box–they often sell out.  If your family will only eat white meat, chicken fingers work great . . . plan on two to three pieces for each person.

Peach Delight
1 large can crushed pineapple – include the juice
2 small packages of peach Jello
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup chopped pecans
8 ounce Cool Whip
Heat the pineapple in a medium sauce pan.  Add Jello; dissolve and set aside to cool.  Mix in buttermilk, Cool Whip and nuts.  Pour into a 9×13 glass pan.  Refrigerate until ready to serve. This can be made a day in advance.

Twice Baked Potato Casserole
8 large baking potatoes, 1 cup sour cream, 1 stick butter, 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, 2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 6 slices of crumbled crisp bacon, 1/2 cup chopped chives.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce the potatoes with a fork and place on baking rack. Bake for 1 hour or until very soft.

Peel and mash the potatoes in a large bowl. Add the cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and 1 cup of Cheddar cheese. Blend with a potato masher or electric mixer. Stir in salt and pepper.

Lightly spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with vegetable oil. Place the potatoes into the dish. The casserole may be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated until ready to bake.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 40 minutes until hot. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup Cheddar cheese on top of the casserole and return to the oven for 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. Garnish with chopped chives and crumbled bacon before serving.

String Beans
1 large can Swanson’s Chicken Broth
2 large cans green beans
1 onion chopped fine
¼ cup olive oil + 1 tablespoon
Sauté the chopped onion in 1 tablespoon of oil until tender. Dump all of the ingredients into the Crock-pot and simmer for three hours.  Drain the broth and serve. The beans can be cooking while you are at church.

Spinach Salad
1 large bag of fresh spinach
2 tomatoes, wedged
3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1 orange pepper, chopped
¼ cup sunflower seeds
1 box croutons
6 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled

Layer the ingredients in a large salad bowl according to the way they are listed.  To ensure crispness, add the nuts, croutons and bacon just before serving. Fry bacon the day before or with breakfast Easter morning and set aside crumbled slices for salad in the fridge.

Dressing:
1 ½ cup Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup sugar
3 teaspoons salad oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
½ cup milk
Whisk all of the ingredients together until well blended.  Pour over salad and enjoy.

Biscuits
Mrs. B’s frozen biscuits are fantastic
Pop these in the oven fifteen minutes before you are ready to sit down and eat.  Delicious slathered with butter and Peach Preserves.

Caramel Cake
1 package plain white cake mix
1 cup whole milk
1 stick butter, melted
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

This can be baked in a 9×13 cake pan or two 9 inch round pans. Preheat oven to 350. Generously grease cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour.  Shake out the excess flour.  Set pans aside.

Place the cake mix, milk, melted butter, eggs and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl.  Blend with an electric mixer on low speed 1 minute.  Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Increase the mixer speed to medium and blend for 2o more minutes.

Pour batter in cake pan. For round cakes:  bake for 27 minutes. For 9×13 cake:  bake for 40 minutes

Let cool for 10 minutes. Then run a knife around the edge of the pan and invert onto a cooling rack. Ice cake with Quick Caramel Frosting

Quick Caramel Frosting
1 stick butter
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ whole milk
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place the butter and brown sugars in a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Stir and cook until the mixture comes to a boil, about 2 minutes. Add the milk, stir, then remove the pan from the heat. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla.  Beat with a wooden spoon until the frosting is smooth. Use immediately (while still warm) to frost the cake.  If it does harden while you are frosting the cake, simply place the pan back over low heat and stir until the frosting softens up.

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• If you are reading this post in email form, click the article headline. This will take you to the article on MMCW’s website.
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• Enter your name, email (it will not be published) and your website or blogsite if you have one (you do not have to have one).
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On the night of the first Passover, God’s people were instructed to sprinkle the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a lamb.  When God smote the firstborn of the Egyptians, He would literally pass over the homes that were marked with blood, and those inside would be spared.

Every time we take communion we think about the last meal Jesus had with his disciples.  But rarely do we think about that meal within the context of Passover.  Jesus was instituting a new feast and a new covenant that night, but the context of the celebration clearly linked the new with the old.  Let’s read the words in the Matthew account in that light:

“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26: 26-28

Just as the blood of the Passover lamb protected the Israelites from destruction, so Jesus’s blood marks His people as set apart.  God’s wrath will pass over us on judgment day as well.

The Christian celebrates communion regularly, and we are not required to celebrate the Jewish Passover anymore.  It can be encouraging and instructive to do so, however, especially if the focus is placed where it should be, on Christ our Passover Lamb.

Last year I celebrated a simple Passover meal with my children at an Antiquity museum.  It was an enjoyable time of learning more about the Old Testament Passover, as well as a time of thanksgiving and joy as we reflected on our salvation under the new Covenant.

The meal was delicious and traditional to what probably would have been served at the Passover meal in Jesus’ day.

The Menu:

• Hardboiled eggs (a symbol of mourning)
• charoset (a mixture of apples, nuts and raisins which represented the mud used to make bricks)
• bitter salad greens such as horseradish and romaine lettuce (to symbolize the bitterness of slavery)
• parsley with salt water (parsley represents hope and redemption, while the salt water represents tears)
• unleavened bread (the Israelites fled Egypt in haste)
• traditionally a piece of lamb shankbone would be served, symbolizing the Passover Lamb, but the museum substituted chicken since many Americans don’t like lamb
• other traditional foods including apples, nuts, dried fruits, hummus, grape juice, honey, lentil stew, black and green olives.

Everything was placed on the table family style.  A meal like this could easily be done at home as a family.  As you are eating, talk to the children about the symbolism of the various seder foods.  Share some Scripture verses that reflect on Christ, our Passover Lamb, and close the meal with a hymn or prayer.

“Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. “ 1 Corinthians 5:7

To leave a comment:

• If you are reading this post in email form, click the article headline. This will take you to the article on MMCW’s website.
• Scroll down until you see the box entitled ‘Speak Your Mind’.
• Enter your name, email (it will not be published) and your website or blogsite if you have one (you do not have to have one).
• Click on the big empty space and then begin typing your comments.
• When you are done, click ‘submit comment’.  That’s it!  We look forward to hearing from YOU!

Have a bit of fun this week creating an egg family.

The first step is prepare eggs by blowing them out. For easy step-by-step instructions click here.

Once the eggs are ready to decorate, gather all your odds and ends craft supplies and have fun. Googly eyes, a Sharpie marker, felt, buttons, yarn for hair–let your imagination run free and have fun!