Bread Bag or Cereal Box Insert?

Every now and then I like to take stock of what is working in our home and what needs to be improved.  I am happy to share just a small tidbit with you about something that has saved me a few dollars over the last few months.  Yes, it's only a few dollars, but in our house, it all adds up!

Instead of using zippered plastic storage bags for storing leftovers and such in the refrigerator, I've been saving my empty bread bags and cereal box inserts.  We use them for everything!  This is what we've used them for so far:   leftover pizza, cheese, veggies, leftover rolls, muffins, waffles, and homemade breads.

How do I know I've saved on zippered bags?  Because I checked the receipts to see when it was I brought them home.  The date was two months ago and I still have 1/2 box left of each size!  For me, that's pretty amazing.  I've had friends call me the "Ziploc queen" because I used them for everything.  Well, not anymore!  A few dollars here and a few dollars there really does make a difference.

Well, that's my 'lil homemaker tip for today.  Hope it might help someone else out there!

Welcome Genny!

I am excited about Genny, my second follower!  Thank you Genny for making my night when I opened my e-mail to not only see your personal message in response to my comment on your blog, but also to see your smiling face had been added to my follower list.  Many thanks! 

See my previous post on "I'm Blessed to Live Here" for a link to Genny's beautiful blog.

My best to you all today,

I'm Blessed to Live Here!

I was reading a lovely blog this morning and it brought to mind the following thoughts (don't worry, the link to her blog is below!  If I give it to you now, can you resist clicking on it?  Will you stay to read?  Oh good, thanks!)

Genny has given her readers an opportunity to introduce themselves to other blog writers.  What a wonderful idea!  She gives suggestions about what a person can share with the other readers of the blog.  One of her questions got me to thinking.  First she asked, "Where do you live?" and then, (and this is the one that made me begin thinking), "What's your favorite thing about living there?"

We live in a suburb outside of Dayton, Ohio.  I have to be honest and say when I married my sweet husband 15 years ago and moved here, I absolutely hated it here.  LOVED my husband, but couldn't say a nice thing about Dayton.  I remember as clearly as it happened yesterday...one morning we returned home from church and I was literally in tears because I just couldn't seem to find anything about this place that I liked.  I was begging my husband to move me closer to "home" (where I grew up).  Now, I can't remember how long we had been married at this point, but I remember sitting on the bed just saying one (not nice) thing after the other about living here and my sweet husband (who hardly ever says a harsh word to anyone) looked right at me and said, "Honey, if you can't find anything nice to say about living here, don't say anything at all."

He was so frustrated with me...but saddened too I think that his new bride was so miserable.  But yet, it wasn't his problem it was mine!  I needed to be thankful for the beautiful apartment he had found for us and for the job he worked (that he didn't exactly care for at the time) to take care of us.  Right then and there, I decided that I was going to pray to the Lord to show me what was good about Dayton, Ohio.  (Although right at that minute I admit to thinking that surely there wasn't anything and soon my husband would see that and he would move me!  Just being honest here...)

Ok, so fast forward 15 years to present day.  It didn't take 15 years for the Lord to show me why Dayton was where he wanted me to be, but now when I look back and even look at how He has provided for us here, I am humbled and amazed.  He is so Good!  He is faithful when I am not and He doesn't turn His face away from me when I am being hopelessly selfish and silly about things that really aren't that important.

Here's why I can (and do) enjoy living here...

• We have been so blessed to have many friends whom the Lord has sent our way over the years.  Some were only for a season, but we always learned so much from them! 
• The Lord provided Jeff with a job that enabled us to make the decision that I would stay home with our children.  That's amazing to me when I think back to what he was making when we first married.  Even together with both of us working, we would have had a difficult time then making ends meet with little ones added to our family.
• We have been in a few churches over the last 15 years, but each and every time the Lord has blessed us along the way.  He shows us new things and grows us in our walk with Him every time.  We are now back at a church that we were attending when our oldest daughter was just about three and our youngest had just been born.  We are so thankful to feel as though the Lord has led us "home" in this church.
• The thrift stores around here are amazing!  We are able to continue dressing our family in style for a lot less because of these stores.  We are so thankful to have them as we hear from friends in other areas of the country who struggle to find a decent second-hand store.  
• Our library and library staff is tops!  The gals (and one guy) who work there have made such a wonderful impact on our lives.  They have watched our girls grow up and say hello to us by name when we walk through the doors.  Love that!
• The parks available to us within a very short driving distance in this area are quite amazing.  There's so much to see and such a fantastic variety of programs available to us if we so desire.  Photos to come later!
• Jeff's two sisters live in the area, so we have family close by.  That's a blessing too!
• We belong to a top-notch homeschool cooperative called Waves of Mercy.  The moms there are so talented and I've been blessed to get to know them.  Our girls have made such good friends there too!
• Our local quilt shop, Sulphur Grove Quilt Shop, is the best.  The gals who run it are Sheri and Carol and they are two of the neatest gals I know.  More on them later too.
• I love our home.  It isn't big and it isn't fancy, but when we enter the front door, it's home.  I love that and am thankful the Lord has provided over the years for us to make it into a haven and a refuge for our family.

I know there is so much more!  But I am thankful for this reminder today.  I need to be content to bloom where the Lord has planted me.  I need to find joy (not the same as happiness) in my life!  Now that is not to say that I am always content and always joyful, but there are days when I can truly look around and rejoice at where the Lord has me right now.

Today is one of those days.

Are you content?  Are you joyful? 


As promised, the wonderful blog I was reading this morning is called MyCup2Yours.
Won't you stop by and visit Genny?

I hope you'll stop by here again soon.  I'd love to meet you!

Thank you to Rachel - my very first blog follower!

Good Morning, I want to give a great big "thank you!" to my first blog follower! Say hello to Rachel of http://cupcakesprinklesinlife.blogspot.com/. 

She has a beautiful blog and I am thoroughly enjoying her posts.  The most recent post is about washing each other's feet, which is a very timely topic for this weekend especially.  Won't you please stop by her blog and say hello?

My best to you and yours this blessed Easter weekend.

Good Intentions

I awoke at 5:15 a.m with all the intention of accomplishing what I did yesterday morning, but alas that has not happened. I keep telling myself that the earlier I rise, the more I'll accomplish. Some mornings, like yesterday, that proved to be true. I didn't feel the "slump" until about 3 p.m. which was actually later than I had anticipated. So, last night I was once again good about going to bed by 10 p.m. with every intention of knocking out a very large to-do list (ok, part of it) in the early morning hours when my house is completely quiet and I have no "mommy guilt".

Can I get an "Amen!"?

The guilt I feel as a mom (and I'm sure there are others who feel it too) can truly inhibit productivity at times. Mostly, the guilt I feel is self-induced, but other times I feel it is the Holy Spirit telling me I should stop staring at the blinking cursor because nothing is being accomplished and I should be doing something much more important.

However, the morning hours are my "sweet spot" and I enjoy them thoroughly, even if I am bleary-eyed some mornings. Coffee makes it all better, right?

So yesterday I wrote 9 articles between 5:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. It felt amazing to get that much done! This morning I have written ONE. Yes, a single article. But, that's ok. There is always this afternoon...and tomorrow...and the next day...The way I look at it is that God is Good and He is providing for us!

I did spend some time looking at a few other blogs this morning and I was encouraged. I laughed.I cried. It's been a worship time in some ways that is different than my devotional time, but just as needed. Can anyone relate?

This post seems more like a ramble...rather than anything else. However, with the amount of writing I do for others, I have given myself permission to write whatever comes to mind here on my blog. This is my "outlet"...it's just for me...and I am enjoying it much.I do hope that others may be encouraged too, don't get me wrong. But, for what it is worth, this is the one place I don't worry about keywords or where to place them. I don't worry about what key phrases might generate income. I...just...write.

And it feels...good.

All my best to you this March morning. I must go get my running shoes on and grab that second cup of coffee - it's going to be a very busy day!

A Gentle Reminder (I Needed One!)

I cleaned the inside of our van yesterday afternoon.  My goodness...it was rather scary to see what had gathered in there over the winter months.  Now, I didn't find any bits of food or half-eaten hamburgers (yes, we have two children), but I did find several other "treasures".  I found CD's, toy cars, hair clips and elastics, pencils, pens, crayons, wrappers from candies, orphaned socks, books, umbrellas, pictures my girls had drawn for me (in my catchall folder beside my seat), cards, old mail, and just odds and ends of things that just never made it from the van to the house during those long winter months.

As I cleaned, it seemed to take forever to remove the grit and dirt with the vacuum.  Once everything was vacuumed, I started on the inside windows and interior of the van.  Isn't amazing how wonderful a vehicle looks after it is cleaned?  It's as if you have a brand new van again!

I was also thinking on many things while I worked yesterday.  My to-do list was running through my head like a ticker tape...I just couldn't shut it off.  But, I as I "watched" the ticker tape running through my mind, I heard my husband's words that he said to me earlier.  When I expressed that I really needed to work today (Saturday), he remarked that everyone needs a break.  He reminded me that we needed to spend time together as a family.  He reminded me that my hands need a break (they sometimes hurt with so much work on the computer).  He gently reminded me that our girls need more than just our school time together.  You see, I know all of these things, but I am one of those people who needs to be reminded of them now and then.

Are you like that at all?  Am I alone in this?

So, guess what we did yesterday?  The girls spent the morning with their dad outside in the sunshine while I picked up groceries.  When I returned home, I discovered that our 10 year old had made lunch for everyone and that the plan was to go enjoy some sun.  So, we threw the girls' scooters into the back of the van (I hadn't cleaned it yet, thank goodness) and went to one of our local parks that has a great walking path all around the perimeter.  My husband and I walked together holding hands (wow, that felt great!) and watched our girls scoot along joyfully.  It was so much fun listening to their laughter and shouts of glee!  We sat for a few minutes while the girls played on one of the playsets and then ended up at the bridge on the other side of the park.  The bridge covers a small creek that was running pretty well.  The sound of water running is so soothing, isn't it?

The girls found yet something else to do - find pretty rocks, climb the bigger rocks along the side, and toss rocks into the water to see the splash.  Jeff and I sat on the bridge and enjoyed the sun and watched our girls explore.  Every now and then they would come over and hug us or give us one of those huge smiles that says "all is right with the world right now".

We came home and I cleaned the van while the girls helped their dad get the fire started.  Jeff grilled out burgers and hot dogs for us and then we watched a movie together.  Jeff read aloud from Pilgrim's Progress and then it was time for the girls to go to bed.  Prayer, hugs, kisses, lights out.

Yes, my husband was right.  I needed a break from work.  I am glad to have a husband who is my "voice of reason" when I seem to want to continue pushing myself.  He has this gentle way of reminding me of the most important things.  You see, I am more like a bull in a china shop with its head down...I just keep going...and sometimes I forget that I need to stop and carefully handle (spend time with) the fragile and precious people around me.  

Do you need a gentle reminder?

I am thankful for yesterday and I am looking forward to this new day.

I pray you have a blessed Sunday...thank you for stopping my humble blog.

"This is as good as it gets..."

Have you ever watched the movie Princess Diaries?  In one scene, she is getting ready for school and once she is ready to leave her room, she stands in front of her mirror for one last inspection.  Her comment is something like, "As usual, this is as good as it's gonna get."  I can completely relate to that comment these days!  Can you?

I hadn't stood in front of a mirror for a long time because it was just not fun anymore.  This is in contrast to those teenage years when I never left the house unless I looked in the mirror to make sure everything was " in place".  Then my mind begins to wander and I wonder...perhaps looking in the mirror once a day wouldn't hurt...and maybe I wouldn't be where I am today if I had.  **sigh**  What in the world happened when I wasn't looking?

Of course, as soon as my thoughts tend to run along the lines of berating myself and saying things that are defeating and unnecessarily harsh, two people come to mind - my friend Tammy and my sister Kim.  They both have a way of putting things into perspective for me and I am glad for their kind and encouraging voices!

 When I am having one of those days when I want to put a burlap sack over my entire self and not leave my house, it's during those times the voices of these wise women come into my mind.  Tammy has said to me more than once, "hey, you are fearfully and wonderfully made!  Repeat it after me!"  Tammy is also the one who is gently training me to stop calling myself an "idiot".  I truly appreciate her friendship in so many ways. When she reminds me of these truths, she is encouraging me in my walk with the Lord.  She is right on both counts.  I know that in my head.  It's my heart that doesn't believe it.

During my recent visit to Georgia, my sister Kim and I were having lunch together.  Out of the blue, she tells me I am pretty!  It was such a wonderful compliment and I know she meant it.  It brought tears to my eyes to hear her say it.  I am so thankful to have her in my life. 

So, what is my point?  I must continue to remind myself that although I have allowed my physical body to get to a place that isn't acceptable to me, that isn't the way the Lord created me.  His work is not to be questioned.  He gave me my body shape, my talents, and my passions for a reason.  It's my flesh that continues to get me in trouble.  I think I just might have to post this verse in a few places around my house. 

"I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well."  Psalm 139:14

'Tis good for me to be reminded that in God's Word there are verses that apply somehow to every area of my life.  I am thankful for loving friends and my Sister.

I hope you'll be able to say today, "I am wonderfully and fearfully made" instead of "this is as good as it gets". 

My best to you,