Refresh | November Edition

A hearty one-dish perogy dinner, the art of contentment, & generosity despite adversity

Hello friend!

Thanksgiving season is upon us once again, and I want to take this opportunity to thank you from the bottom of my heart for inviting me into your inbox each month, opening and reading this newsletter, and even sharing it with others. I am honored by your trust and support, and I look forward to continuing to bring you inspiration for delicious and easy meals, ideas for simplified homemaking, and biblical encouragement for the journey of life.

I pray that this edition of Refresh is a blessing to you. Find a quiet spot if you can, put your feet up, and come, be refreshed!

The generous support of my paid subscribers helps make this publication possible. As a thank you, I’ll send you this month’s printable Scripture writing plan. Look for it in your inbox!

Nourishing Recipes

This month’s featured recipe is one of my family’s favorite one-dish meals: Baked Perogy Casserole! Now, if you live in Canada, you can buy amazingly delicious perogies at any grocery store for cheap, but if you live in the States, as I do now, they can be a little harder to find, though your local Wal-Mart may carry them. American perogies aren’t quite as yummy as their Canadian counterparts, but they are still tasty and make for a fast, hearty, warming meal as the weather turns wintery.

If you try the recipe and love it, please spread the word by leaving a five-star rating and sharing it with a friend!

Simplified Homemaking

The Little House on the Prairie series are some of my absolute favorite books – yours, too?! My friend Luba recently wrote a post all about homemaking tips from the Little House on the Prairie book. It’s a great article, and I hope you’ll go and read the whole thing right here. Here’s one quote that is especially appropriate for this season of Thanksgiving.

“Ma was content to live in a covered wagon for days and weeks while they moved.  Then, she was content to continue to live in the covered wagon while Pa hauled logs for the house.  She was content to move into a house that was not completely finished.  The doors, floors, windows, and roof were not all completed overnight.  Each task was accomplished by the family working together and sometimes by trading work with a neighbor.

In today’s world of technology, we can sometimes expect unrealistic things.  If you purchased a home that wasn’t completely perfect, it may take months and years to do all the work inside, whether you do it yourself or you hire someone to do it.

Let’s learn to be content even when things aren’t perfect.” 

Biblical Encouragement

For the past two years, I’ve shared a story about my husband’s grandma, Elizabeth, and great-grandma, Katarina, in my November newsletter. I want to share it again this year because it’s always thought-provoking and convicting.

My husband’s grandma, Elizabeth, and her family fled from Russia to Canada in 1925 when she was just 15 years old. Her family had suffered through years of extreme hardship and hunger under a cruel governmental regime. Elizabeth recounted that she and her siblings were so hungry that they sometimes ate makucha. Intended as pig food, makucha was the leftover hulls of sunflower seeds after they had been pressed for their oil. The hungry children chewed on this to get out any sunflower meats before spitting out the shells, desperate to quiet their growling stomachs.

“We had very little food ourselves, but Mother [Katarina] always had something to give. When other food ran out, we would go into the fields to find leaves similar to spinach. Mother would cook them for breakfast, lunch, and supper,” Elizabeth remembered.

This account so convicts me. I am easily tempted to worry, complain, and hoard what I have when times are scarce – and even when they are not – but the reminder that Katarina “always had something to give” despite her great need is amazing and inspiring. May God help us live in gratitude and generosity like she did!

"And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living." (Mark 12:41-44)

Note: Katarina’s story was told by her daughter, Elizabeth, to her daughter, Esther, my husband’s mom. Esther preserved Katarina and Elizabeth’s stories in a book she wrote called A Mother’s Heart. She wrote the book nearly 15 years ago to celebrate Elizabeth’s 100^th birthday. Since then, my husband’s grandma and mom have both passed on, so I’m especially grateful that we have some family history preserved through the written word.

My sisters-in-law have been working on re-publishing the book and making it available for purchase, hopefully by Christmas time. I’ll keep you posted!

What I’ve Been Enjoying Lately:

I recently found the card game In a Pickle (Amazon affiliate link) at a thrift store, and we’ve been having a lot of fun playing it. It makes a great family game because it’s appropriate for a wide range of ages and developmental levels, it’s quick to learn, and it makes for lots of laughter and fun conversations. It would be a great stocking stuffer, too!

Gratitude Prompt:

What’s one way God has provided for you and met a specific need you had this past year? If you haven’t already, consider writing about it and perhaps share your story of God’s provision with someone else who needs encouragement.

What I’m Listening To:

Christmas music is abundant, but Thanksgiving music can be a little harder to find. I’ve compiled a playlist of lovely pieces to help draw your heart toward gratitude this holiday season. The playlist is available on YouTube Music.

Quote of the Month:

“Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it.”

A.W. Tozer

Conversation Spark (a fun and meaningful idea of what to talk about other than the weather!):

What food from a traditional Thanksgiving dinner do you consider absolutely essential? What food would you rather not have included in the feast?

(I’ll take extra cranberry sauce, please, and pass on the stuffing 😊).

Thank you for being part of the Each Ordinary Moment community. I appreciate you!

With gratitude,

Cara