The Ultimate Blog Party 2010 - I'm Fashionably Late, But Here!

I'm so glad you stopped by!  The Ultimate Blog Party 2010 is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom.
I came across the information for UBP10 a few days ago, but am just now joining the party.  I'm excited!   I am brand new to blogging, but am truly enjoying it.  Allow me to introduce myself...

I'm married to the most wonderful man in the world, Jeff.  He is my best friend, my fabulous husband, love of my life, and loving father to our girls.  We've been married 15 amazing years and I am still discovering things about him that I love.  We've known each other for over 24 years total!  It's a pretty incredible how the Lord brought us together too (more on that another time).


We have been blessed with two beautiful girls, Julie who is 10 years old and Heather who is 7 years old.  They are the best little girls!  Ok, not always, but hey, we all have our days, right?  They each have a wonderful way of blessing us and everyone else around them.  


Home educating is where the Lord seems to want us right now.  We felt a conviction from the Lord about keeping our girls home back when Julie was 3 years old or so.  Had it not been for the incredible friendship and encouragement of my friend Tina, we probably wouldn't have even looked at homeschooling.  But, as the Lord would have it, she kept talking about it with me and showing me how great it was and it didn't take long for us to realize that she was who the Lord sent our way to tell us about home education.  Loving it now!

I have collected lighthouses for a few years now.  I want to visit as many as possible someday and photograph them too.  

In all my "spare" time, I piece quilts for friends and family.  It's a real joy for me.  My Momma has given me tons of tips and has shown me a lot.  I have learned a lot by trial and error too (mostly error, I'll admit), but still love diving into a quilt, tote bag, or pillow project when I can.

You won't see many photos of me because I am more of a shutter-bug, meaning I am mostly behind the camera instead of in front of it.  Photos of nature are my favorite and if I could, I'd spend hours wandering and snapping photos.  Someday...

I work from home as a ghostwriter for a small group of clients whom we believe the Lord has provided to us for so many reasons.  I love my job and am blessed to write for some amazing moms who are also working from home to make ends meet (and go further sometimes too!)

I'd love to go to Ireland someday!

I was adopted when I was 10 days old and blessed beyond belief by my parents, Larry and Gloria and my brother Mike (also adopted).  I couldn't love three people (other than my husband and girls) more than I love them.  But the Lord wasn't done...six years ago this July 5th, my birth mom called me.  She's an amazing lady.  I am now blessed to have a third family - my birth family!  I have a sister too!  I always wanted a sister...isn't it lovely how the Lord gives us the desires of our heart?  It's been quite the journey getting to know these wonderful Christian people and the journey has really only begun.


Coffee and chocolate are two of my favorite things.  

I also love to bake and try new recipes.  It's not unusual for me to try a completely new recipe when friends or family are coming for dinner.  For the last 15 years however, my husband and I think there were only two meals that just didn't pass muster...I guess I find good recipes. 

I do believe I have gone on long enough.  I look forward to meeting you!


All my best to you today,

Welcome Susie!

I'm so tickled to have Susie from Susie's Homemade
joining us here at Busy 'Lil Homemaker.  If you want to know how to make it or bake it, go visit Susie's blog. 

Welcome and thank you for stopping by!
 

A Beautiful Ohio Day

We had such a great day outside!  We hiked Clifton Gorge just outside of Yellow Springs, worked outside doing some spring clean up, visited Tom Cloud park and then came home to grill out burgers, hot dogs and s'mores for dessert.  What a blessed day!

Here are some photos of Clifton Gorge.  It's such a great place to hike!

In some areas, the river rushes and it's such a neat sound as the water rushes through the rocks.

In other areas, the river is more calm and quieter.

There are interesting and amazing rock outcroppings on both sides of the trail.

This is a special species of trillium flower - beautiful!

One one side of the trail is the river and on the other side, these amazing cliffs.

This is the bouquet I created from the branches my husband trimmed from our ornamental pear tree.  My husband has terrible allergies, so I didn't want to bring these into the house.  But, they were just too beautiful to toss.  Now I can see them from our dining room and living room.  The pitcher was a fun find at a garage sale several years ago for 25 cents!  Love that.

I hope you're enjoying the spring weather in your neck of the woods!

All my best to you,

Garage Sale Shopping Tips

I was driving along the other day heading out to do errands and all of a sudden my oldest daughter says, "hey mom, there's a garage sale down that street!"  I must say, after a very long winter here in the Midwest, it was all I could do not to slam on the brakes and turn around!  But, errands called..

Garage sale season has begun!  I don't know about you, but we've been shopping garage sales, yard sales, and estate sales for going on 15 years now.  We've outfitted our girls from day one with beautiful clothing for so very little money.  We've found books, great movies, home decor, games, organizational items, furniture, toys, and so much more over the years.  I must admit that some years it was almost an obsession for me to get out every Thursday morning by 8 a.m. and start shopping.  We are really blessed to have so many sales in our area.

I thought since garage sale season has arrived yet again, I'd share a few tips that have made my garage sale days a bit easier and a little more organized (and FUN!).

Garage Sale Shopping Tips

• Map out your route before you leave the house.  Laminated maps are really great for marking out garage sale routes each week.  Using a dry erase marker, I would circle the street to which I was going and put a number beside it so I knew which one was next on the list.  As I visited that sale, I erased the mark.
• Always take the newspaper or printout from the computer with you that lists the garage sale addresses and the blurb about what they're selling so you can remember why you wanted to go there in the first place.  This is especially handy toward the end of the morning or afternoon when everyone is hot and cranky and ready to go home.  Was there something at that last sale you truly had to have?  
• If you're shopping with little ones, always take snacks and plenty of water along.  A small cooler is perfect for traveling around to garage sales and keeps everything fresh.  Toss in a few toys, books, and music tapes to keep everyone happy.  If you think you'll be out during the lunch hour, pack lunch too.
• Older children can be a big help when shopping too.  Put them on the lookout for items you want and perhaps they can help you find them before someone else grabs them up.  
• Don't be afraid to haggle on prices!  There are two types of garage sales - ones where people are looking only to make money and don't mind pulling everything back into the garage at the end of the day if it doesn't sell.  The other type is the one where the folks would like to make some money, but their primary goal is to get rid of the clutter and stuff and not take it back into the house.  These are the sales where offering a bit less than the tagged price could save you a bit of $$ but still give the seller a fair price for the item.
• Be courteous, always.  You're being invited onto someone else's personal property when you visit a garage sale.  A smile and a greeting goes a long way.  Keeping your children with you and under control (everyone does that, right?) goes a very long way as well.  Many sales we've been to will post signs that say, "you break it, you buy it".  It's very much like visiting a store.  When we leave, even if we purchased nothing, we thank the seller and tell them to have a good day. 
• YES!  You can walk away from a sale buying absolutely nothing.  It's ok!  If this is especially difficult for you, keep in mind that if you spend a few dollars here and there on things that you buy simply out of guilt, you may not have enough on you when you finally see "the thing" you've had on your wish list forever!  Just keep walking...
• Get out and take a look, no matter how small or sad the sale may appear from the street.  I've learned my lesson on this many times over.  I'll pull up, see the sale and think, "seriously, that's all there is and your ad said "HUGE sale!"?  Granted, sometimes you'll hit a real stinker of a sale and find absolutely nothing.  However, sometimes you'll find gems that are completely unexpected and you'll walk away thinking that you are so glad you stopped.
• Look under the tables!  I shop garage sales and I've hosted garage sales over the years.  Toward the end of the time you're putting things out and discover there is just no more room, the logical place to put items is under the table (to keep walkways clear).  Look under the tables.  Root through boxes.  There could be real treasures awaiting you...
• Try to bring small bills and change.  So many times people zoom through the ATM and head to the sales only to find that the seller hadn't prepared enough change and there's no way to buy that small item because there's no change to be had.  Believe me, the seller will be so thankful to see smaller bills earlier in the morning.  This may not be an issue later in the day however, so if you've gone through your cash stash in the a.m. and have to make a run through the cash machine, go ahead!
• If you see a larger ticket item and don't have all the cash on you right then, approach the seller and ask them if they'll accept a deposit to hold the item for 30 minutes.  I've done this many times and usually people are agreeable to do so.  However, if the item is in great demand and they have several potential buyers, the seller may politely decline your request. 
• Keep sanitizer in the car and use it every time you get back in after visiting a sale.  
• Most of all, have fun! 

Do you have garage sale shopping tips that you'd like to share?  I'd love to hear them!  

All my best to you today.  Happy garage sale shopping!

Welcome Denise and Mary

Welcome to Denise of  The Cottage Chick.  I am so blessed by this amazing lady!  Denise is not only a blogging and home educating mom, she owns and operates an amazing cottage decorating website. You can visit her at Cottage Home Decorating.  Psst - I'll share this just with you - she just surpassed Better Homes and Gardens and HGTV in Google rankings and now sits at #1 for "cottage home decorating"! Go visit her site, you won't be disappointed.  (Can you tell we're friends?)  :)

Welcome Mary of Mary Potter Kenyon! Thank you so much for stopping by my humble 'lil blog. I have been wanting to tell you how much I enjoy your posts. I also love your header! We are a book-loving family around here too.

Won't you go and visit these ladies today?

My best to you!  See you soon.

Love Never Fails Us...

Good Morning,

This song has touched my heart many times this week. I am sharing the lyrics only at this time. I hope to find a way to share the actual song by Brandon Heath. Hope the words to this song bless you today.

Lyrics to Love Never Fails by Brandon Heath:
Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most

Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside

Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you

Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time

Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t

Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you

When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this

Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life

Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you

[ Love Never Fails Lyrics on http://www.lyricsmania.com/ ]

All my best to you today,

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!