A tale of twenty couches....

"She looks well to the ways of her household..." Proverbs 31:27

Okay, so maybe not 20 couches but that's what it feels like! For the past 16 years we have NEVER purchased a new couch. We have always purchased couches and furniture second hand from Craigslist or used furniture stores. We recently purchased a great sectional with a chaise that fit our whole family. but when I bought it I knew I would have to recover it because the fabric was thread bear. But alas I never did recover and then it began to fall apart. We all know little children can't help but rip what they see ripping. We finally ran out of sides to turn cushions and blankets to put over the couch so we threw it out and went to Craigslist....

No time to recover this poor thing!

This is the couch we purchased on craigslist, my idea was to dye the leather a dark reddish brown color however, alas this thing had bed bugs. Don't worry we did not get infested but we got bitten! So I literally pushed it out of the back door and then there was no couch for months.....

Bed bug couch...ugh

Well, the Lord provides! We waited until our tax return got here and because of our sweet friend we knew which discount furniture store to visit and we found this beauty on sale!

Our first new couch, EVER! I didn't even know they came in plastic.

Seriously as I look at these pictures I am so grateful for the Lord's provision because this couch is also motivating me to continue working hard on my "31 Days to a Clean House"  e-book that I purchased from here.  Now, before we bought this couch we had purchased the two above and we had gone through about 3 more couches in 4 years. We chose the material for our couch because of it's durability and with 5+ kids we need durable furniture. We spent from $60 - $170 per used couches if  it lasts 10-15 years like we hope we will spend less money on it then all the used ones! 

So, now we re-do our rooms, then I will show before & after pictures of our rooms when we are done.  So I guess I'll spend some time at The Nester, frugal decorating sites, Lowes Home Improvement (I'm refinishing the table seen in the is picture) Goodwill, Tuesday Mornings & any other frugal store I lay eyes on.  

Save time & money in the kitchen

Recently Kris at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers recently posted 'Being in a Lunch Rut is not so bad'. This is a topic that I love and though I responded in her comments I thought I might share more of my thoughts with you all too! It is my hope  that it may bless someones family!

"She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants." Proverbs 31:14-15
We have 5 kids (3 kids & 2 eating babies) and I am trying to make meal time into a wonderful sweet & simple routine. In order to simplify meal time I created a schedule to follow. So we have a two week breakfast/lunch/snack rotation and frankly it has revolutionized our meal times and I have saved countless hours I would have spent planning & thinking. One of the ladies on Kris's site commented how she hates to stand and look into a fridge and think about what to make! Well, sister you don't have to!

Here is our meal plan we have a two week rotation for breakfast and lunch. So on Week one Tuesdays we make pancakes and on week 2 Tuesdays we have bagels with cream cheese. The days where there is different meal for week two will be shown as follows .... meal week 1 --- meal week 2.

Breakfast
Sunday - Breakfast bar (English muffins, bagels, boiled eggs, cereal and breakfast left overs)
Monday - muffins w/ fruit --- Bagels w/ cream
Tuesdays - pancake w/ fruit & eggs --- Cinnamon rolls with fruit
Wednesday - Oatmeal with fruit & raisins --- Quiche with rice crust
Thursday - Cornmeal mush w/ fruit --- Biscuits & Gravy with egg
Friday Quiche with rice crust --- Waffles w/ fruit & eggs
Saturday - Eggs w/ grits, toast & waffles or eggs rancheros w/refritos,Pancakes, eggs, fruit grits or Pioneer Woman Eggs Benedict, grits & fruit
Lunch
Sunday- Left overs/loaded baked potatoes
Monday- Hot dogs & chips
Tuesday- Daddy's Cheesy Ramen --- English Muffin pizzas, fruit
Wednesday- Mac & Cheese---Beanie Weenie
Thursday - Loaded  Baked Potato w/ fruit or apple sauce ---Daddy's Cheesy Ramen
Friday- Sandwich with chips & Fruit
Saturday - Sandwich with chips & Fruit
Sunday- Left overs/loaded baked potatoes

Snacks @ 3:00:
Sunday - Popcorn
Monday-PB&J roll up
Tuesday- Fruit/boiled egg
Wednesday-cheese/bologna & crackers
Thursday - cheese sticks
Friday-Yogurt
Saturday -Veggie Plate/Ants on a log

Yes, I plan my snacks. I've found that my kids are constantly hungry and they will eat other lunch items if they do not have snacks. I also believe that if my kids are constantly hungry and go unfed I am not doing a good job meeting their needs. So on top of the planned  3 pm snack we also have what we call 'free snacks'. I buy a large something (pretzels, peanut butter pretzels, cheese balls etc...) at Sam's (Cost Co) Club and they can eat as much as they want any time, but I only buy it once a month. My kids are no longer reporting a state of constant hunger!
Now my meal rotation may work for you, you may need to plan a 1 week meal plan. You may want to just have 7-14 meals you know you can make. Whatever you do write and down and stick with it, adjust as you need to and let it be a blessing to you!

It took me a while to get used to the schedule and to consistently make what was on the schedule. Now I don't even think about if its Friday I make Friday Food. The kids love knowing what is coming, this is especially helpful for my oldest who has mild autism.
 
Do I personally always eat whats on the schedule? NO!! I often eat left overs instead because I really can't stand mac&cheese or beanie weenies but the kids love them! Periodically, we pull items from the rotation if I find something else that is inexpensive, tasty & healthy; for instance we recently added loaded baked potatoes and they are a big hit.
 
Saves Time, Money & helps hubby:
 
This schedule saves time because I do not have to think about what's for lunch or what's for breakfast.This schedule stays on my fridge for quick reference. When its time to make my grocery list I just grab our '2 week meal rotation' off the fridge and check off the items we need to purchase. 
 
I save money because I avoid buying foods we won't eat and that will get lost in the fridge. I know how many packs of hot dogs, cinnamon rolls, bagels etc... we need to make it through the month. So we rarely waste any of this food, like I did with unscheduled items. I have carefully spent time picking foods and I am actively replacing more expensive foods (such as corn dogs & chicken nuggets) with less expensive items (such as Daddy's Cheesy Ramen, Loaded Baked Potatoes).
 
It helps Hubby on Mommy sick days... he doesn't have to think either he can go to the list and make whatever is there. Now I must admit I keep a box of jiffy muffin mix in my pantry for my dear husband. For he does not get as much satisfaction out of making muffins from flour as I do. So think about things to to help your sweet husband when he is pinch hitting (taking your place).
 
I hope this encourages you to make a plan that fits you & your family!
 

Grace & Peace

Linked to:


http://raisingolives.com/2011/07/lunch-menus-for-homeschooling-moms/



Getting Ready for Soccer Season (or whatever sport you kid plays): Large Family Logistics

As I am working my way through Large Family Logistics I have been reminded of how smoothly our life ran when I was more organized and thus have dedicated this year to organization.

This year my focus is on getting organized and making lists so I am constantly thinking about things in the future. One of the things that causes a lot of busyness at our house is soccer season. We are usually gone 1 night a week for practice and at least 1/2 a day on Saturday. Being gone can and does wreak havoc on my home management abilities.

So I am resolved to be prepared for this event as much as possible. So here are some of the things I can take care of before hand:

For the Team

• First Wayne & I usually coach both girls teams.
• 2 sets of emergency snack (to cover forgetful parents)
• Buy my  2 sets of snacks of as soon as I see a good sale
• a blanket for the kids to sit on (really it keeps them off the field)
• trash bag (after snack time)
• end of year gifts/gift certificate for players
• Note cards for the players I write each player 2 notes of encouragement during the year. I can write most of the notes before hand because the majority of it is scripture.
• Buying extra water bottles for practice & games.

Our kiddos comfort

• snacks for our kiddos at the field

At Home

• Saturday soccer check of list so everyone can help.
• I am cooking double meals now to put in the freezer so I can just defrost it on practice days.
• Planned really easy fast meals for game days!

Once the season starts

• I will leave our snacks and the emergency snacks in the van!

Looking for:

• Cheap Pop up canopy
• wagon for the twins
• cute sweats to coach in

Can any of you think of some things I can take care of ahead of time? I'd really appreciate your help!

May the Lord grant your family peace through all the 'seasons' of your lives!
Rooster Hill

Ruthless Decluttering & a year of organizing!

This year I have found the new skill I am going to hone. Which is getting more organized! Right now we are in the process of Decluttering . Our ruthless Declutter & organizing right now involves three bins next to my bedroom door & one pile on a cabinet:

1. To return items we have borrowed from other people. We have an abundance of borrowed baby items right now and I am really concentrating on getting these things back to folks as soon as we are done using them. Especially since several of the wonderful ladies that loaned us these items are pregnant again! :)
2. Items that need to go to the upcoming garage sale - When I find something I have not used in a year I immediately put it into the garage sale tote.
3. Items to go to the dump in a black trash bag - these are broken items that I do not believe someone could fix.
4. I pile up books to sell at half price books on top of a little cabinet next to the other 3 piles
5. Homeschool books for sale are in a pile in my computer desk . they are being sold on  http://www.homeschoolclassifieds.com/ & E-bay.

I have not had to schedule a time into my day or week to concentrate on decluttering. I do it as I am going through my day and as I run across items I toss them into the appropriate receptacle. This has been wonderful because there is no time in my day during the homeschool year to work on little projects.

It has been amazing how much stuff I have gotten out of cabinets off tabletops, desks &
pianos! It is wonderful to have cleared off counters, cabinets and desks. Now that I have a place to put the things I want to get rid of, I am beginning to feel the return to an organized life.

I have also decided to re-read some Emile Barnes Housekeeping books, Duggars chapter on organization, Large Family Logistics and  participate in Orgjunkies 52 weeks of Organizing!

I hope you are inspired to pick up a new skill each year!

Preparing for the NewYear

 I was inspired by a post on one of my favorite blogs to think and write out the things I have been planning and preparing at home.

The Homeschool

About twice a year I really sit down and evaluate how I think the school year is going. I tend to ask myself a series of questions including:

How do I think the year is going?

Are we where I wanted us to be at mid year , if not what needs to happen?

Is the curriculum working does anything need to change? Do I need to switch into something else or should we continue forward?

Are there any new issues that are occurring with the children that need to be addressed such as speech issues, character problems etc...

I am in a  neutral position with our homeschool about 1/2 way through the first semester we switched Parker to several Christian Light courses and we have been very pleased with it.

There are a couple of things I wanted to consistently add back into the children's day. Such as listening to the Bible for 15 minutes a day. We completed the New Testament in the Spring but we are still working on the Old Testament. I'd like for us to listen to the entire Bible each school year.

I've planned to cover a different character Quality with the children each week.

Additionally, during black history month we will read a different autobiography (MLK, Carver, Tubman & ) each week.  We will also go to the local African American History Museum. This will be the first time I've ever prepared for black History month.

Next,  I'd like to fun holiday sheets for the kids so I have been printing out

 color sheets, crosswords and word searches for the holidays that occur in the Spring.  I remember how much I enjoyed doing those sheets in school and I have been remiss in providing them to my students.For President's day we will be going to the George Bush Presidential Museum. Finally, I am also planning some school parties to add a healthy dose of fun & excitement into to the year.

The Home

This month I've spent a lot of time planning and changing home management methods to help my home to run more smoothly. I'm changing our laundry system and it already seems to be working more smoothly.

I have planned out meals through May and have again begun to do some bulk cooking. Bulk cooking means when I get home from the grocery store I go ahead and brown about 10# of ground beef and cook/debone 10#'s of chicken and then freeze it all into serving size bags.  The goal of this is to simplify my cooking and enable me to spend a little less time in the kitchen.

I have begun to plan for the the many events of the year 6 birthday parties, our 15 year Anniversary, a 2 week vacation, 2 camping trips, a week of Homeschool Camp, Family Camp (hopefully) in October and a couple of parties I've always wanted to have. I have begun lists to add items that are needed for each of these events.

I am organizing clothing boxes in the attic using the Duggar system of numbered boxes and a spreadsheet so I can keep better track of the clothing accumulating for the 5 kiddos. 

We will begin researching the 12 passenger vans in January as we start saving for one. We are preparing for a garage sale to start saving for our much needed 12 passenger van!

 If I think any changes need

Always, keeping in mind that these are my plans and I am planning in light of God will. For just as the rich man who stood to look at all of his crops we do not know what the Lord has planned for us even the next day! Still we are called to guard our time for the days are evil!  

I was motivated to post this after reading one of my favorite blogs the Wise Woman Builds her Home  which posted Planning and Preparing for a New Year

May the Lord Bless you and your family as Lord willing you plan for your new year!

Eating Whole Foods on a budget

We are not an organic family. The term I like to use for the way we try to eat is whole foods. We do not want to be deprived of nutrients by eating processed foods that have been stripped of must of their nutritional content. What this means is we avoid eating whole wheat, raw sugar, raw honey, drink raw milk,  eat our farm eggs and try to avoid processed foods at every turn. In some areas I am much better then in others we are still working on a less processed lunch menu for during the week. Needless to say we have not arrived at eating perfection :)

 

So on to the topic I wanted to write about, which is eating whole foods on a budget. One of two reasons we are not die hard organic Nourishing Traditions/Food Rebels kind of family is the cost! Simply put when we tried it last year we were hungry and our food budget was nearly 30-50% more then it had been previously.

 

So I became a Compromise Eater (a term from Nourishing Traditions(NT)) but even to do this we had to find ways to reduce the overall cost of whole foods. I have heard many people say that it is less expensive or it costs about the same to eat food of poor quality as it is to eat healthy. That my dear is a lie from the devil! It is more expensive to eat healthy food!

So here are a couple of things we have done to stay within our grocery budget.

1. One thing I have done is to slowly buy many of our staples in bulk. We buy our foods from Village Foods and we receive a 10% discount on the bin price when you buy an entire bag/box of an item. So for example our whole wheat pastry flour is .89/# and I pay about .80/#  by buying in bulk. I buy about 25# at a time and I buy flour once a month for $20.05. We do the same with steel cut oats, brown rice, raw sugar, Redmonds natural sea salt all of these items we usually only buy 2-5 times each year.
2. Another thing I do is buy items we use a lot of such as Olive Oil in bulk at Sam's Club. I already know I cannot afford to pay for the Raw Natural Olive Oil. But since Olive Oil is by far the oil I choose to put into our food the most. Other things we buy at Sam's: yeast, baking powder, baking soda, corn starch, maple syrup, nuts & pices. So don't give up if you cannot afford 'Raw' just move on to the next best choice you can afford. It is, however, rather annoying that raw things cost more. One would think since you do not have to process an item it would be cheaper but apparently not! Oh well, maybe one day the price will come down!
3. The final thing we have done is look for ways to buy things you want at a more economical price for instance we are going to be buying some cocunut oil from Mountian Rose Herbs in the next two weeks. It's much cheaper to buy it in bulk then it is to buy the dinky little containers most stores have.

 

The Lord knows how much money we is on our grocery budget and he has streched my money on more then one occasion! My prayer is that you would leave this post encouraged and more able to cook whole foods for your family, (if that's God's will for you) on your budget.

Here is a hearty recipe we like around here utilizing left over rice :

Rooster Hill's Whole Wheat Rice Pancakes (serves 6)

• 2 cups leftover Cooked Rice, white or brown
• 3 cups buttermilk (or yogurt or soy yogurt)
• 3 cups white or whole wheat flour or half each
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 medium eggs
• 1 1/2  teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice(optional)

 

Put the rice in a large bowl and mash it with a potato masher. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Then pour onto griddle and make pancakes. This recipes doubles and triples well.

 

Homeschool Encouragement Conference with Steve & Teri Maxwell

We are all excited about attending the Homeschool Encouragement conference put on by Titus 2 Ministries whose mission is to "encouraging, equipping and exhorting families in Jesus Christ".

The Maxwell Family

We have enjoyed so many of their products over the years: Managers of their Homes, Managers of the Schools, Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit & Study guide, Moody Family Series (one of our families favorite read alouds!)  and I will be reading Managers of their Chores this year. So it is such a blessing that we have an opportunity to meet and to be personally encouraged and exhorted by a family that has helped to equip us to follow the Lord  through their ministry. I hope all of you are encouraged this weekend too!

Encourage one another!

The McVays

Apron Evangelism

I love aprons and I thought some of you might love aprons too so here is my favorite post Mrs. Maggie at Hillbillyhousewife about Aprons. What a reminder that homemaking and mothering is profession. May the Lord bless you as you work today!

One day not too long ago I was struggling with the boys over some minor details which come up when a lot of people live in a small shack in the woods. Details like the value of picking one’s dirty clothes up off of the living room floor when company has been spotted driving up the mountain. The boys were unusually stubborn that particular day. Rather than fight with them over their household responsibilities I picked up the dirty clothes myself and crammed them into the washing machine. I ran some soapy water in the sink to get a start on the dishes before the company arrived.

Now usually I am not one to hold a grudge over small disagreements like laundry on the living room floor. This one settled in my brain though, and I felt compelled to mull over it for several days. It was the outright insubordination which offended me the most. After I figured that out I went in search of solutions.

About the same time I was in the process of Spring Cleaning. I was having a great deal of trouble motivating myself to wash the walls in the kitchen and mop the back porch where the cats live (blessedly with a doggie door so they don’t need litter boxes).

Well, the more I worried about these twin dilemmas the more I felt the need to discuss them with the queen of solutions, my momma Darthulia. As I suspected she had the perfect solution. Darthulia told me I needed a uniform or costume which would reassure myself and others of my intention and status in the home. She claimed it would remind me of my duties, inspire me to greater levels of cleanliness (which as a hillbilly I sorely need), and reaffirm my authority in the home.

Darthulia then went on to describe the homemaker’s uniform to me in detail. “Imagine the modern archetype of the housewife.” She began. “Think Donna Reed, or Beaver Cleaver’s mom. They wore full skirts, and stockings, and heels when they vacuumed. But you knew they were doing housework because they had their aprons on. A string of beads graced the necks of their classic shirtwaist dresses, and a lacy bibbed apron proclaimed their role as matriarch in charge of household management.”

I only have a fleeting memory of Donna Reed. I sort of wish she came on television regularly so I could take notes but she doesn’t in my area so I am stuck looking for other heroines-of-the-home to model myself after. Most of what momma said made sense to me though. That very day, I put on a full skirt, stockings, sensibly low high heeled shoes, and a string of pearly white beads. Then I sat down at my sewing machine and ran up a couple of bibbed aprons, decorated with lace and ribbons.

I made up the pattern as I went along using a small rectangle for the first bib and a heart shape for the second bib. Then I stitched lace around the edges of the bib and attached it to a simple tie with a full apron skirt gathered to the waist. I made them short waisted so they would fit my maternal figure a bit better, and voila, I was set. I put the first apron on, a creamy white or ecru, and looked in the mirror to admire my handiwork. I expected to see myself staring back at me, probably looking a little silly in this frilly piece of confection designed to protect my clothing.

Boy howdy, was I in for a surprise. In the mirror I saw a vision of the homemaker I have always strived to become staring back at me. Her cheery face glistened in the sunshine. Her hair tied up neatly in bun looked authoritative, and compassionate all at the same time. The apron covered several figure flaws and accentuated the fertile curves of the woman I saw in the mirror. This woman had purpose. She had status. She had clout. I stood there, contemplating the wonder of the homemaker that shone through my image in the mirror. “This is who I want to be” I told myself. “This is the Keeper of the home, with a capital ‘K’. ”

I wear my aprons every day now. I have made more, in different colors and configurations so as to be pleasing to my senses. I have come to believe they are a like lacy bits of lingerie, only worn on the outside, and a quite a bit more respectable. When I put on my aprons the children mind me better, wandering visitors immediately know my role as a stay at home mom. Door to door religious missionaries assume I am a virtuous woman and cheerfully move on to the next house. Fred thinks I look cute as a button, and neighbor children hug me more often.

I like my aprons. They have changed my life, raising my standards, inspiring me to greater feats of home making skill, and making me more effective as a parent. Whoever thought that a dollars worth of fabric and lace could effect so many changes on one woman and one family? Since my success with aprons I have become a true believer. I am now called to spread the word among my fellow housewives. Join the crusade by sharing your love of aprons with friends, family and internet buddies around the world. Together we will change the face of the House Wife, the world over.

Blessings,
–Maggie (The original Hillbilly Housewife)

Saving money using dryer balls (Septic Safe*Green*Frugal!)

These are dryer balls. You've probably been using them for years but I am not a first acceptor. So I have had my dryer balls for about 5 months. I was skeptical but I bought them because I wanted to save money on dryer sheets. I bought 3 balls at Wal-Mart for $4.97. Let me tell you these things work really well our clothes come out nice and soft as if a fabric softener was used.  These balls are also perfect for your septic system because I am prohibited from using liquid fabric softener in the septic system. So I am no longer buying Fabric Softener. I may need to buy a couple of balls each year but this is nice little savings from the fabric sheets that I was previously using. So I would like to encourage you to buy a couple of these things and try them out in your dryer and see if you can't make the switch!

So the recap:

Septic Users: Eliminates all fabric softeners from entering your system

Frugal Crowd: Saves money eliminating the expense of buying fabric softener.

Green Crowd: Eliminates Fabric Softener sheets and the liquid ...you can also order more expensive pvc free ones if you just look around on line.

Thrifty Decorating

Okay, so those of you that know us know we recently had to get rid of our old couch due to the immeasurable amount of throw up & other bodily fluids deposited on it in a 48 hour period! I hate to spend money on stuff like this if I don't have to. So first I asked a couple of friends that are moving to remote places that I thought might be off loading furniture...NO LUCK...then I posted on the local homeschool loop looking for a couch and a box spring...found the free box spring but no couch.

So now I knew I'd be buying a sofa I started to think about what I might want. (Yes, that is correct in the hunt for the free sofa I never considered what I would want!) I thought a sectional or a sofa with a chaise would fit perfectly into our space. I also wanted a sleeper sofa since we have converted our extra bedroom into a boys room with a crib. So my final step is to start hitting the thrift stores and see what they have. For furniture I like Quality Used Furniture so off we went to see what was at the store.  

I found this tan/taupe colored couch with a sleeper (with serta sleeper at that) and and a chaise. It was priced much higher then I wanted to pay but I was able to negotiate the price down to $175.  I am going to have to recover the seat cushions as the one on the far left has some wear. Other then that the sofa looks great!

On a side note I was surprised to find many of the college students and friends surprised and dismayed that we purchase used furniture and clothing. Am I alone does anyone else thrift shop out there?

Country Living The Septic System

When you live in town you pay for sewer use but when you live the in the country you use a septic system. You are in charge of your septic system, we knew nothing about septic systems. Then I was reading in The Thrifty Gazette that if you do some simple maintenance on your septic system you can save hundreds or thousands of dollars. Our septic system was ready to be pumped as the 'true top' of our pipe is that ring you can see at the bottom of the slightly smaller pipe. Our septic installers were excellent and they provided us with a little bit of extra protection.

During the septic pumping I learned from Tommy the Septic man that we have 3 tanks. Basically two for sludge and 1 that is a pump tank that takes care of all the liquids. If the septic system backs up into the the third tank that is when you incur all kinds of extra expenses.

 Also I found  out that although many folks have their septic system under maintenance contract to make sure it is working right that may or may not include checking the level of sludge.

Our papers recommend pumping the system every two years and this is nearly year 4, OPPS! We will pump again in about three years but we will check it each year to make sure we do not need to pump it earlier.

My paperwork gives the following warnings regarding your septic:

• Don't wash more then two loads a day
• Don't put in grease, fats and oils
• use the garbage disposal sparingly (thus we compost)
• No chemical or mop water into the system
• No non biodegradable items (such as the tea cup and pecans found in our system)
• don't use citrus products
• don't use too much water (no long showers!)
• No strong disinfectants like Lysol, pine sol and tidy bowl
• Use low sudsing, low phosphate and biodegradable washing products
• No liquid fabric softener or laundry detergent
• Recommends use of ivory, sunlight dish washing cascade, sunlight dishwasher detergents, Comet  & Biz and baking soda.

I need to photo copy this and put it in the laundry room and by the kitchen sink!

There was a lot of grease in our system and we do not fry anything but green tomatoes. Yes, my southern friends close your mouths remember we are from California and we don't fry stuff there! I am considering switching to biodegradable soaps and cleansers to make it easier on our septic and we can use the water on our garden if we use these sort of cleaners. Additionally, we may be able to stretch out the time between pumpings and save money in the long run!

And of course everything that occurs around here is a homeschool learning event and the ever curious students learned a lot from Mr Tommy too!

So I encourage everyone with a septic system to check it out and get it pumped before you really have to pay the big bucks!

Summer Snack Attack! Tell me what you feed your kids!!!

I have a lot of deep thoughts rolling around in my mind but my most pressing concern....snacks! Seriously, I want to know what snacks you feed your littles. I hope to add more healthy & yummy snacks into every one's arsenal.
\
okay so I'll start us off....

• veggie plate
• sliced cheese (we buy a 1# of cheese and cut it ourselves into sticks)
• Popcorn
• fruit
• cheese & crackers
• yogurt
• homemade granola bar/granola
• Roll up (contains peanut butter, honey or jam, raisins (optional))
• homemade cookies
• breakfast left overs

Please don't let my children go hungry or drift into a snack malaise...Help to elevate this Mama to snack time greatness! Can't wait to see what ya' got!

There is joy at home!

I hope to provide a a review of some of the Above Rubies conference that I attended. We spent almost an entire session talking about being at home.

3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Titus 2:3-5

Basically, we are suppose to be "busy at home". She talked about how we often get sucked into doing good things that take us away from our home. From kids sports, music lessons, Awanas, church meetings etc... for most of us it is always going to be the good stuff that gets us.

She really just cautioned us against anything that would effect our dinner time schedule and thus effect our family devotional. The one time of day everyone is home and it's time for Dad to lead.

I have to raise my hand and say I am guilty of wanting to do more and feeling guilty that we do not have more activities. I do not want my kids to 'miss out'. But honestly what they are missing is their family growing spiritually, at home training with Dad, healthy meals & less stressed Mama.

I also must encourage the young women in my life to stay at home as much as possible and to plan your days & weeks with growing in Godliness in mind (Titus 2:3-5) . To get their homes in order even when they do not have a family to take care of yet.

Some verses about this:

This one is directed at widows but really could apply to any woman with time on her hands: "Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to." 1 Tim 5:13

"We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies." 2 Thes 3:11 This seems to really speak against "hanging out" with friends. That what we do we need to do purposefully and that while we do it we should be purposeful. After all Ephesians 5:15-17 reminds us "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."

So what do we do? It seems like we must be wise with our time as married women and if we are visiting a friend that it should not be idle time. Lets get that laundry knocked out, sew, study the word but no matter what do something productive. For my sweet single friends I think it just means the same. I just don't think more freedom translates into idle time chatting, lots of movies or multiple evenings out. Here is the exception (assuming your home is in order) for you single girls you could attach yourself to a family and get some on the job training (Titus 2:3-5). Don't expect Mom to sit instead you can jump right into life and fold laundry, sweep, mop...if you scrub toilets come to my house! Don't wait to be asked to fold just fold (you might ask Mom where the stuff goes :) ). Help us love our family & kiddos in exchange for some OTJT.

Lets go forward encouraged by Mrs. Campbells words and living out Ephesians 5:15-17. Let's strive toward putting God first, getting our houses in order ,our healthy dinners on the table and don't let the enemy rob you of the joy of home.

Ladies there is joy at home, grab it!

Above Rubies Conference Discount Rate

Please join us 

January 21 -23, 2011  in Tomball, Texas 

for a relaxing, refreshing, and encourgaging weekend! 
ONLY $100!

This is the wonderful retreat that I went to in Alvin, Texas in March of this year. It was such a sweet and quiet weekend of fellowship and friendship.  I am planning on attending it again next year. I truly encourage you to attend if you have any questions you can contact me directly or you can contact Kim.

Register between now and May 30 and pay only $100 for your choice of Entire Weekend, Day Only, Saturday Only! This is a great deal, regular rates are $150, $120 and $100

To register please go to www.houstonrubies.com

Email Kim at  kim@houstonrubies.com if you have any questions.

Mother's Day Request flower gardening

Much like Heather's post Holidays go much smoother if clear requests are made. This year I have had the gardening bug and I have asked for a rose bush.

So now I will check the "Texas Superstars" what is that you say? It's the list of plants that they plant, fertilize and water once and forget about them. If they survive and thrive they become a Texas Superstar. Still though I think Rose Gardening is more for the intermediate to advanced beginner due to the pruning and fertilizing. So if you are still killing everything wait a little bit or give me a call I'd love to help you out.

The Knock-Out Rose

Belinda's Dream Rose

Grandma's Yellow Rose

Marie Daly Rose

Need a good plant for Texas try the Texas Superstars. Need a gardener to help you just ask! Need some Rabbit Manure tea to make your roses bloom we've got some of that too!

All right ladies lets keep our tents beautiful, inside and out!

Kyle

Planning Your Summer

I recently found the blog Inspired to Action and here is their mission statement: "Inspired To Action is dedicated to practically helping moms develop the habits and skills they need to effectively manage their homes and raise children who are prepared to change the world."  You know I'd love some mess like this!

Right now she is doing a series on Planning your summers. I have planned my summers previously but I usually fail to complete most of the projects I was hoping to do. These posts have been both inspirational and instructional for me as they have pointed out my complete lack of schedule has lead to unfruitful summers.

Ephesians 5:15-17 (New International Version)

15Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

So our basic and very flexible daily schedule will be:

• awake -8:45 Breakfast, memory verse, listen to the Bible for an hour (they can work on quiet projects as long as they are able to listen to the CD) and discuss
• 8:45 outings
• 12:30 lunch
• 1:30 Quiet Time w/ tea (reading, projects, drawing)
• 2:30 Crafts with Mom (this will be a challenge because I am not that crafty but I want my kids to be crafty like Mrs. Kendra, skilled like Mrs.Candice & creative like Mrs. Kim B) We will work on Cooking, Art, Crotchet & sewing this summer.
• 4:30-5:00 Farm Chores
• 5:00- Dinner Free Play/swimming at home

 This is not set in stone and I know that many days will not follow this pattern. We will do some traveling this summer, some visiting, see some movies and go to the library.   But on those basic summer days where we are home I think this structure will be help us take control of our days.We tend to be more active during the summer but at the same time I do not want to us to run ourselves ragged. So I am prayerfully working on our activity schedule for the summer so I can share it with our friends and hopefully many of you will be able to join us!

 

 

Love this Bedroom from Sand Flat Farm

I love this bedroom I found at the blog Sand Flat Farm. One of the things I really like about it is that I already have a lot of the elements of the room in my bedroom (shelf, side table) and around my house (ladder, plates, trunk, white lace curtains, quilts, hat box & lace). But my master bedroom is no where near as well put together. So this is the direction we are going and I'll let you watch my progress!

Let me know what you think of this farm house bedroom.

Saving money using napkins

I have been collecting napkins for the past couple of years because I wanted to save money on paper napkins. I got this idea from a book called the Tightwad Gazette. I purchase my cloth napkins for .10-.25 each. Most recently I purchased 10 napkins for .10 each at a local thrift store.

If you are trying to save money you probably want to watch a couple of things.

1. Your per napkin cost. You really want to try to stay under .25 as much as possible. You could easily sew these with scraps, but due to my schedule my sewing time is limited so I choose not to. If you did sew them using a $1.50 yard fabric I would think you could get about 9 10"x10" for about .18 each or so.
2. You may not want to start washing a load of napkins, that will add to your bottom line! I wash them with my towels as neither receives fabric softener which often causes an item to become waterproof.
3. You will probably want to know about how many napkins your family needs to make it through a week. For us it would be at least 35 for just us. We normally have about 3-5 dinner guests each week so about 40 napkins! At .10 a napkin that just $4 or $10 at .25 a napkin.

An unanticipated bonus is that guests are surprised to see real napkins outside of a restaurant. I think the cloth napkins add a little character to our home making it feel comfortable. They really come in handy when we have a tea party and help give it a more formal feel for the invited guests human and teddy bear. Additionally, since I have such a variety of napkins the kids take great joy in giving everyone just the right napkin...purple for Ms. Julie, blue for Daddy, Red for Mama & pink for the sisters! Thus, we are able to grow and encourage hospitality in the children.

We have really enjoyed the cloth napkins and I think you might enjoy them also.

Rejoicing in savings & hospitality!

K

PS- Green stuff ( no more paper napkins in the landfill, re-use)

Home Comforts: The Art & Science of Keeping Home

I have wanted this book for years, but I am wholly unable to buy a book for $35! So when I found it for $9.98 I happily handed over my spending money to the clerk.

Unlike the Martha Stewart book I have and love this book is more of a how to manual. Like the Joy of cooking but I guess this is the joy of cleaning!

I have already started reading it and I am really enjoying this book. It hits me where I am in that I am really good at some aspects of housekeeping and lacking in others. My mother was a career orientated attorney not a housewife. In my youth I also planned on being either an attorney or professional soccer player so she did not teach me homemaking skills, nor was I interested in them.

So, as I read through it I will probably periodically post on my progress through the book. Perhaps I'll post a few challenges for other new, untrained and perfecting homemakers!

Come on by ...

Hospitality at home...neighborhood swimming fun!

Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings. Romans 6:23a ---I know it's kind of random but I love Gaius and his heart!