So many projects under way here in the Kilcoyne Home!

 

This year I will be focusing on some much needed personal health goals, and I’ll be sharing along the way on nutrition, fitness, and personal thoughts as the months go by. I am also preparing my home for a possible move by the end of the year, Lord willing, which means, de-cluttering, cleaning, organizing and a little decorating just for fun! Homeschooling will resume shortly, which means Freezer Frenzy will be included in our weekly schedule to keep our freezer stocked with good meals so mom won’t be wasting precious time in the kitchen every day, and believe me, with five boys and a husband, I can easily spend hours in the kitchen keeping up with demand!

 

I have goals for just about every area of life, and it doesn’t take a New Year to get me going on them! For those who are close to me, they know I am always after something, working toward something, whether tangible or not. I wasn’t always like this, it wasn’t until I began seeking the Lord for His Plans that I began to realize how fruitful he wanted me to be in every area of my life.  A fruitful vine is ‘ever-producing and ever-bearing’ and I’ve learned to be on the lookout continually for areas that need my attention, need pruning, planting, watering, etc… it truly has become a way of life for me. In recent years though, I have come to see that it is not the ‘seen’ things that are so important as the ‘unseen’ things happening in our lives. Our God is a God of the heart. I love when my efforts produce outward results, but more so these past few years, I have been discovering the joy of my inward heart efforts producing inward heart results.

 

Galations 5: 22-25 says:

 

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

 

To have the fruit of the Spirit in our hearts is true freedom and fruitfulness. To have crucified the flesh in an area where you have previously been held in bondage is a joy to the soul. Working out the weak areas of my flesh before a loving God, asking Him to change my heart, deciding day by day to listen to the Holy Spirit whose presence is a true comfort and strength- this is real fruit to me. Simply put, it is a Relationship with Him.  No matter what I do outwardly in life, it cannot produce results like this! The more I learn to walk after the Spirit and not my flesh, the more I know Him, the richer my fellowship with Him, the more confidence I have in Him, the more I sense His Love. Isn’t that what this life is all about?

 

I want to encourage you this year to not just look at the outward things that need to be done, go to Him with your heart and talk with Him about it. Learn to listen to the Holy Spirit and to follow Him. Seek after REAL FRUIT this year that will have lasting, eternal results!

 

This week’s posts:

 

 

Sweep & Keep House Challenge Introduction – How I will begin a clean sweep through my home to get it in top shape for the year and ready for a possible move!

 

Sweep & Keep House Challenge – Master Bedroom- This is my most neglected room so it is number one on my list!

 

Freezer Frenzy Time! – Time to stock up the freezer with yummy meals!

 

Mother Roar Series – Part Four: A Wise Woman Builds

 

Book Highlight:

 

This month I am going through the books Nourishing Traditions

 

 

and

A Love That Multiplies: An Up-Close View Of How They Make It Work

From time to time I'll be sharing what I am reading this year. I love books that give real information and guidance, and that lift the spirit, and these two are no exception. Nourishing Traditions is an education in food all by itself, if you are wondering where to start when it comes to healthy eating, look no further! A Love That Multiplies is the newest book from the Duggars, and is filled with parenting wisdom for today. I am enjoying each book very much.

Remember to tell your lady friends about Fruitful Vine and that you can now sign up via RSS feed or email subscription! We also hope to join the ranks of Facebook and YouTube this year, so be on the lookout for exciting developments!

Over the next couple months we will be diving into herbal care for the family, marriage, women's health and much more. If there is something you would like to see posted here at Fruitful Vine, please don't hesitate to let me know!

Have a blessed week! --Completely His, Nicci

 

 

 

Happy New Year from Fruitful Vine!

2012 Has Arrived!

 

It seems like these days are flying by at warp speed around the Kilcoyne home. Christmas and New Year’s Eve are a blur to me- actually 2011 was CRAZY busy, exciting, challenging, and exhausting all at the same time… but now here we are in 2012! Whew!

 

The last time I posted I asked, What does the New Year mean to you?  I love planning and I love making goals, but I can also quickly become overwhelmed by them. I am such a visionary that I often bite off more than I can chew and this year is no exception. When I looked at all I wanted to accomplish this year I realized I was once again in the land of Too Much! My husband laughs at me often about this tendency of mine- I don’t just want to clean my house, I want to decorate too- all within a week’s time! (Yes, I am one of THOSE women!) I don’t just want to plant a garden- I want a small farm operation! Everything is BIG with me, and I wouldn’t change that about me at all, neither would God. I firmly believe that He gets a kick out of His Children who dream big dreams, we are crazy enough to think we can achieve them, and that sisters, is called FAITH.

However, big goals and dreams don’t get achieved by taking on too much at once. If you’re a visionary like me, then you know that you can quickly burn out speeding toward your goals. The key for sisters like us, is that we need to learn to take our visions and PRAY about them, asking the Lord to show us the step-by-step process of achieving those goals. He gives us the baby steps and shortcuts we need to see the vision through to fruition. Do you want to be more healthy this year? Take a few weeks every day before the Father to ask Him how you should approach health for your body. Keep a notebook close by and jot down the ideas He gives you. Do you want to be more connected to family this year? Do you want to run your home more efficiently? Write that book? Compose that song? Start that bible study? Sometimes, He’ll even tell you to lay a dream or two down because it wasn’t His Plan or His Timing for that thing. It is so important that, in everything, we acknowledge Him, consult with Him and follow Him. Only then can we have real success in life.

If you are just starting to seek the Lord for 2012, try listing all of the goals, dreams, & aspirations on paper. Take that sheet of paper with you to your prayer closet and pray over each individual thing. Ask the Lord what He would have you focus on this year, ask Him to give you scriptures to confirm His Will. I usually spend about three-four weeks on this process, and I usually do this in late September of every year, seeking the Lord about the coming year, but this past year has been a little different and I find myself doing it now rather than four months ago! Regardless of the timing, one thing I know without a doubt, is not to move forward without my guidance from Him.Take the time to seek Him now, and you will ensure success throughout the year!

All of that being said, God says, “For I know the plans I have for you…” (Jeremiah 29:11) He knows… it is important for us to ask Him what His plans are for us, amen? I remember one year, all He spoke to me in prayer about the coming year was that He wanted me to love my husband and children, stay home and keep my priorities in order. Seemed simple enough… ha! I sure learned a lot that year about how difficult it can be to keep priorities in order! But you know what? Had I not obeyed what He spoke to me, I do not believe that Fruitful Vine Outreach would have been birthed and my heart for God’s Woman would have never ran this deep. That was a year of divine revelation for me about what the Lord considers valuable in His sight, and He has continued to minister to me every year since then about priorities, family, women and ministry – what if I had not sought after and  listened to His plans? Sister, He has wonderful things in store for you this year- He is simply waiting for you to come to Him so He can tell you.

The following song is one that the Lord has laid on our family’s heart for the year and we feel it is not just for us. God is calling His people to Him and He desires to show His Plans to us. I encourage you to seek Him, you’ll not regret it!

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube DirektAway With Me

 

So, come away with Him this New Year, open up your heart and let Him in to show you what He has in store for you!

Regular posts from Fruitful Vine will resume shortly, I am excited about the coming year and all that will be coming into fruition here. I’ll see you soon, but until then, here’s an older post that I think applies to this time of year:

On My Heart, Do You Fast and Pray?

Have a blessed week! Completely His, Nicci Kilcoyne

With Christmas here, I’ll be taking a short break from posting until after the New Year arrives. I look forward to spending time with the family and church members in the coming days and I am especially looking forward to making plans and goals for the coming year. I don’t know if it is because we are women and we know what it means to birth new life, but women seem to understand the need for fresh starts and new beginnings. Something inside of us regularly pushes us to plan, set goals, aspire and achieve.

New beginnings are exciting- what will this year hold? For me it is a chance to do better, to be better, to love more, and to live more… what is a New Year for you? Right now for me is the time for reflection, what do I want to do differently, what do I NEVER want to do again? It is time to pray and plan for my goals and dreams. Once the New year arrives, it is time to get in gear and implement my goals.

This coming year will be one of my busiest ever. From graduating my oldest into adulthood in his final year of formal homeschooling, to starting basic preschool with my youngest, I have five sons that will all need me to be on the ball as mom. I have organizational goals for the home this year, as well as scheduling goals to help my household run more efficiently than it did this past year- and I plan to share what I am working on week-to-week here at Fruitful Vine if you’d like to follow along. There are personal aspirations for health, and music ministry and of course, for my writing. Our entire family is already underway with goals concerning our relationships with each other and with our Lord.

The truth is though, a fresh start doesn’t have to wait for a New Year to roll around… some of our goals are already being worked on, some have a personal deadline throughout the year. With the Lord, His mercies are new every morning, and every day with Jesus is a fresh start! Don’t feel like you have to wait for a special moment or day to begin anew, right now is as good a time as any! What would you like to see happen in the coming year? How would you personally like to improve as a person, wife, mom, etc? Do you want to spend more time with others, or more time on projects important to you? It’s a great time of year to reflect and plan to be more fruitful in your life, but remember- January 1st. isn’t the only day that fresh starts are available to you, trust in Him and He’ll give you one every single day!

We will continue with the Mother Roar Series after the New Year. May you be blessed to the fullest measure this Christmas and I’ll see you next year! –Nicci

This week:

In the Kitchen with Mama Nicci

Fresh Homemade Everyday Bread

 

Greetings! Three days late on sending out this week’s post but better late than never right?The holiday season is in full swing and kitchens are full of the smells of Christmas, packages are arriving every other day on the doorstep

from online orders, parties and church plays are on the calender and the countdown to Christmas is on! We do not have elaborate plans this Christmas, we’re going to spend the big day at home with just our children so for us, this year will be pretty low-key and simple. I still plan, however, to make a HUGE meal, we will probably watch a movie and play some board games, just hanging out as a family. Last year this time we were getting ready to travel to MI and it was a whirlwind trip! Two weeks of non-stop activity trying to “fit it all in” and attempting to see everyone we could. This year though, should be nice and quiet. (As quiet as five boys will let it be!)

Do you have JOY? Our pastor at church taught on joy today and I realized that I am lacking in the joy department! He talked about the difference between happiness and joy and how often we confuse happiness for joy. Happiness is completely within the realm of our senses and temporary, wheres JOY comes from the fruit of the Holy Spirit and is lasting and steady regardless of what is happening around us. Happiness can be affected by outward situations and feelings, Joy is inward and unaffected by outward circumstances. The greek word for joy means , “gladness from the inside out, calm delight…” With Christmas fast approaching, it is now, more than ever, that we should be filled with joy as we celebrate our Savior’s birth…God sent His only Son, the Word of God, into the world as a mere man because He loved us. (John 3:16) Now that is something to be joyful about! When Jesus arrived on the scene as a babe in swaddling clothes in the arms of Mary, it meant that our Answer for our sin had come. It meant that reconciliation to the Father was finally here and available to those who would believe!

Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22) Scripture tells us to choose to walk after the Spirit- to live by the Spirit- and if we will, then joy will be a fruit in our lives. This tells us that we must CHOOSE to walk according to the Spirit of God and joy will be one of the results of that choice. I have made the choice today to walk after the Spirit instead of walking according to my flesh so that joy can have its place in my heart. I encourage you this Christmas season to allow Christ’s joy to abide in you, choose to lay down any “joy-killer” and embrace what the season is truly about: God dwelling among us!

–Nicci

This Week’s Posts:

It seems  like all I did this week was spend time in the kitchen! So, here are some of the things I made this week:

Gingerbread Scones    Fried Jalapeno Poppers    Homemade Tortilla Chips   No-Knead Peasant Bread

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Relationship with Children

Happy Holidays from Fruitful Vine Women’s Outreach!!!

Last week was full of activity once again in the Kilcoyne home! We celebrated our 3rd. oldest son’s birthday in the midst of Thanksgiving preparations. Judah, now 12, enjoyed a birthday breakfast fit for a king! A complete waffle bar, pizza and ice cream! As soon as breakfast was over, it was time to get going on thanksgiving preparations for the following day.

Here in WY, we do not have any relatives close by, so the holidays can be a little lonely; thankfully, we have an amazing church family that is sensitive to that and we were blessed to enjoy a meal together at our church with other families that also needed “family” this time of year.

It is important, no matter where you are, to allow the Lord to bring you family from His Body.

Years ago, this one truth set me free in so many ways, and allowed me the freedom to not place unrealistic expectations on others to meet my needs. Psalm 68: 6 says, “God sets the lonely in families..” I have learned to trust Him to give me family no matter where I am, and He has always been faithful to meet our needs. I am grateful for all the “mamas”, “papas” “aunts and uncles” and “sisters and brothers” the Lord has provided to our family over the years and since moving here to our little mountain town, we have needed them more than ever!

If you find yourself lonely at any given time in your life, look to the “Family Giver” to meet your needs. He truly will set you in a family tailor-made just for you!

 

May His Blessings overflow richly in your life this Holiday Season!

 

Nicci

 

In the Kitchen with Mama Nicci

   Oh my, I have started something in the Kilcoyne house that I don’t think is ever going to stop. Pumpkin Smoothies! I have        heard about these before, but I had no idea that something could be so delicious! Granted, I am a die-hard pumpkin “anything” fan, all I have to do is smell pumpkin, see pumpkin, and I begin to salivate. But this recipe is genius for me for two reasons: not only does it include one of my favorite tastes ever, it also comes in one of my favorite food forms: a smoothie. I love smoothies; icy, fruity ones; green ones; protein ones; and now, creamy, dreamy ones like the following: Pumpkin Smoothie

 

 

 

Duties at Home

     Are you the kind of woman who has to have all your stockings in a row?

     Stress is a robber of peace, joy and contentment, learn to stop stress and

      enjoy the season! Don’t Stress- Be Ready to Enjoy the Season!

 

 

 

 

 

Relationship with Children

   Mother Roar Series Part Two: Loving Your Children  -

Do you know what it means to really love your children?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t forget to sign up for Fruitful Vine to be delivered right to your inbox!

Have a blessed week!

This week I FINALLY set up my coupon center down in the Homeschool Room of our home. I have been wanting to have a place set up just for my coupons for months other than at our dining table! Now I can coupon downstairs after schooling is over for the day and it doesn’t feel like it is taking over my house! For those of you wondering: NO, I am NOT an extreme couponer, but YES, I do coupon and I am building my pantry, or stockpile, in the process. With five boys and more children bound to be on the way in the future, this is just plain wisdom to me. Recently the Lord blessed us with a great deal on grape juice, so I stocked up and currently have 32 bottles of grape juice in my pantry. I also coupon for charity and whenever able, I purchase things for the local girls home and food bank. Before couponing, we were struggling to keep up with our growing food bill. As many of you know, we don’t just feed our own family, but many of our childrens’ friends join us for meals… but last year, we began to realize that if something didn’t give financially, we might not be able to continue providing meals like we wanted to. I read an online article about couponing and thought, “I’ll give it a go and see what happens.” This was before I saw the new Extreme Couponing Show on TLC and I had no idea how extreme one could get with coupons! The first time I went shopping with my coupons, I saved a little and was pleased with the results. So, I kept researching online and I have steadily gotten better and better at it- really, to me, it is all about being organized and recognizing low price opportunities to combine with your coupons. I have now gotten to where I have cut our grocery bill in half on average, and in certain shopping trips I save anywhere from 60-80 %! Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of those savings? I can also benefit others from my shopping with a little extra planning, like getting toothpaste and tooth brushes for the girls’ and boys’ homes, helping a single mom with groceries who is struggling with making ends meet, and making much needed donations to the local food bank. If you look around, you can find needs to be met, but more importantly, you can be a blessing to others and shine the Light of the gospel to them. As a stay-at-home mother, I don’t always get to volunteer and be a part of service opportunities like I would want to because I must keep my priorities in order for the strength of my own family, but as I am shopping for my own household, it is no extra task for me to pick up a few items that would be a blessing to others. If you are interested in learning more about couponing, here are two of my favorite sites:

www.krazycouponlady.com

www.passionforsavings.com

These sites were a tremendous help to me when I was first starting out. Remember to give yourself time to learn, and allow for about six months before you begin to see big results with your couponing.

 

In the Kitchen with Mama Nicci

This week was also spent making Biscotti! These delectable Italian twice-baked cookies are a family favorite that I begin making during the Fall season through the end of November. I love having them on hand for coffee, tea and cocoa, they are great when guests come over. I also love giving them as gifts. Here is one of my most requested flavors, Double Chocolate Chip Biscotti with Walnuts Be forewarned though: Biscotti can be very addictive!

Don’t forget that you can view recipes and past posts about what I am doing in my kitchen HERE .

 

 

 

 

 Relationship with Your Children – Mother Roar Series Part One- What Does “Mother” Mean?

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t forget to sign up to have Fruitful Vine delivered right to your inbox or RSS reader!

Have a blessed week!

Completely His,

Nicci Kilcoyne

 

Our Little Prince (as I have always called him), Aiden, turned 7 this week! I always get a little weepy when one of my children gains another year. I cannot believe that he is 7! Monday was filled with making preparations for the birthday breakfast- a long time tradition in our household. Whenever you have a birthday in our house, you can ask mom for WHATEVER you want- no limits- for your birthday breakfast. The kids LOVE this because I usually require really nutritious meals, so they torture me with all kinds of crazy requests. Aiden’s choice for this year? Hot cocoa, pumpkin pie, brownies and cookies… yes- I really did serve all of that for breakfast! I also made a egg casserole for the rest of us who didn’t want to try to stomach all of the other things!

Relationship with Lord

 Pass Cup Please

Can I be honest?

This week was ROUGH in the the Kilcoyne home. Every family has their ups and downs–we had more downs than ups this week and I had several moments when I just wanted to pack some bags and RUN. No matter how much faith you have, there will still be times when you ask the Lord to please pass this cup (insert your situation here) from you. Sometimes He delivers us right up out of a situation, problem immediately solved. Other times, He carries us through faithfully, and while I am so grateful for that, this week was one that I would have liked to simply been delivered from. Pass cup now please, I’d rather not have to go through this one. I have really been trying to be mindful lately about handling the curveballs of life in a more Christ like manner, asking often, what would Jesus do? When your facing crisis of any kind, it isn’t always easy to answer that question specifically, it takes some time with Him to process and sift through the situation and determine the best course of action. I am grateful for His guidance and this week has been no exception. Here is what I learned in a nutshell when a crisis rises up and you have no idea what to do:

1. Always Pray or cry out to your Lord first. – He is our Guide, Wisdom and Protector and even if it is a quick thought in your head, acknowledge Him as soon as you are in trouble. (Mine was simply, “Oh Lord help right now.”) (Phil 4: 6)
2. Second, recognize whether or not the situation is beyond you and get the necessary help. Call 911 if necessary, police, a trusted adviser or pastor. I am grateful for a community of believers that surround us with godly counsel. There truly is safety in the multitude of counselors and the Body of Christ covers you in times of distress. (Proverbs 24:6)
3. Do not suffer in silence, ask for prayer. This doesn’t mean that you have to tell everybody about your situation, but it does mean that when you need the power of agreement in prayer to support you, take the opportunity with bible believing Spirit-led people. (Matthew 18: 19-20)
4. When a situation stabilizes, turn to the Word of God as quickly as you can. There is no other real answer. His Word is our anchor in stormy weather, our foundation from which we cannot be moved. (1Cor 3:9-11)

Without the Lord, we are left to muddle through situations that arise on a daily basis alone. But with Him, He works all things for the good for those who love Him. (Romans 8:28) And I do love Him, so I trust that all is being worked out for good in my situation. What about you? Do you love Him? If you answered yes, then you can trust Him too.

 

Onto this weeks posts!

In the Kitchen with Mama Nicci

This week I had plenty of apples to use up from my last bountiful baskets order so I made Freeze-Ahead Apple Filling and Apple Butter (This is an external link)

If you are interested in learning more about freezer cooking, here’s a link to a free e-book I wrote when I had a lot of people asking how I did freeze ahead cooking in my house:  Freezer Frenzy (This is a pdf. file that you will need a program like Adobe to be able to read)

Homeschooling

And We Begin Again … Another year of homeschooling has begun in the Kilcoyne house! READ MORE…

 

Relationship with Children

I Am Mother, Hear Me Roar!  — New series starting on motherhood!

 

 

 

 

Have a great week, and be blessed!

Completely His, Nicci