the bridge

This video was shown to us during church service Sunday evening. It is a parallel of the awesome love God has for us. It shows how God sacrificed his son Jesus for the rest of the world.

homemade breads

Last weekend, I got inspired to try some homemade breads. I have yet to accomplish the loaf bread and it always goes bad before we eat it all. I decided to make Sweet Rolls and English Muffins from my Fannie Farmer cookbook. I love that cookbook! I was very successful. You don't bake English Muffins but fry them on a griddle. I don't have a griddle so I used the iron skillet Tim picked up at a garage sale for less than a $1. I love that skillet, too! We are looking for more skillets and a dutch oven. It did take me all Saturday morning of mixing and baking and washing, but it was worth it. We are trying to get away from the sandwich bread with preservatives, and at least buying bakery bread when we don't have the time to make our own.

Godly leader

I may be risking unwanted comments with this post, but I it's on my heart to share. Last night I watched part of the debate between the vice presidential candidates. I am so confident that McCain will win. Sara Palen really appears to have Godly wisdom. She stays calm, answers questions wisely and doesn't demeanor her opponent like most politicians. For example, she made a sincere comment to her opponent that she was very happy that they both had a concern for Israel. Her background also shows a trustworthy report. God puts people in high positions to accomplish his work. Look at King David or Queen Esther. God doesn't lift people up to important positions to set them up for failure. I believe God is hearing our prayers for our nation and has his hand on the situation.

bike riding

I came home from work Friday to learn that Makayla has learned to ride her bike. That fast? Finally! About two months ago Tim took her training wheels off, and since then her bike has been in the shed. I don't know why she decided to learn Friday, but it only took her between the time she got out of school and the time I got home. I was starting to worry about her because she's 7 years old. Would my child be normal if she never learned to ride a bike?
Sunday, we went for a family bike ride around town. It was great! I had been waiting for this for a while now. I have been wanting to go bike riding, but Makayla has been the hold up. As we were riding, my pedal started coming off so I stopped to see if I could fix it. I was in awe, when a complete stranger offer to fix it. He went back to his shed and brought back a wrench. I am not used to such friendliness. It is so awesome to know that there are still people like that out there. This has been also been a great reminder that I need to get back into my exercise routine. I was very hot and tired after the bike ride, but it gave me lots of energy later in the evening.

short-time visitor

This spider made is home on our deck during the month of August. At nights, he made a large web to catch his meals. By the mornings, the spider and his web was gone. I don't know where he has gone, but I'm glad he stopped by for a while to eat all our pesty bugs.

9-11 changed my life's path

As I drove to work this morning, the radio was talking about how 9-11 effected peoples lives. For me it was a new life. I remember being at work that morning. My supervisor told me what happened. I never tuned into the news. My first thought was that a small plane lost control and flew into the tall building in New York I had never heard of before. As the day went on I learned more and more about what was happening. The event of the day was really messing with me. That evening I went home and pondered why people would do this. I came to the conclusion that it was an evil thing and that I wanted nothing to do with it. Previously, the Lord had been tugging at my heart. But at that point, the evening of September 11, 2001, I made a decision to live my life following Jesus...I am saved! Never again will I be the same person.

financially blessed

I have come to notice here lately that God is really taking care of us. We thought it would be a struggle to live on a one-person income, but truthfully is has been a blessing. We are not struggling at all! As I drive to work in the mornings and park in the lot, I notice that pretty much everybody has a newer vehicle. I am proud to say that both of our vehicles are paid for. Not necessarily all, but a lot of other people are still paying for their newer vehicles. There are lots of other things that we don't have which helps us focus on God. We do have basic TV and phone, but we do not pay for extras. I use a calling card to call long distance when necessary. Yes, it's a pain, but it saves me money. I am very suprised that I am living so easily without the internet. I do have access to it at work, but I realized that I could live without it if I had to. In actuallality, we would end up wasting too much precious time on the interenet. Most libraries have internet access if one really needed it. Also, since we live in a rural community, we have found things like a strawberry/blackberry farm and an Amish community. It's so exciting to find those things! We can enjoy the little things including a financial-stress-free life. By following God's direction for us to live simple, He has really blessed us!

dining table & chairs

Shortly after we settled into our new home, we purchased this table and chairs. My mom and sister knew of someone who was updating their set and sold this one to us at a very frugal price. I had been wanting a new dining set for a while, and I'm glad I held off from purchasing one from the store.

knitted diaper wrap

I made this for my nephew, Noah. I had given Lori (his mom) enough time to post this picture on her blog, but since she hasn't I will have to. She's had it 3-4 months now, I thought maybe I would have seen a picture of Noah wearing it by now :) (Elizabeth, don't take this as a jab at you.) I was going to make one of my regular soakers, but when I saw the wrap it was just Lori. She's just a "wrap" kind of person if you know what I mean. I was not thrilled with the outcome of this pattern found at www.warmheartwoolies.com, but you'll have to ask Lori how it worked out for her because I didn't actual use the wrap.

back to your basics cookbook

I purchased a used copy of the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. I read about it in my favorite book The Complete Tightwad Gazette. The author Amy Dacyczyn wrote that it was her favorite cookbook. Now that Tim is doing a lot of the cooking, he is wanting something that shows him the basics of cooking with every day ingredients. I have been looking for a cookbook like this for along time. Amy seemed like the basics type of person, being frugal and all, so I thought I would take a chance and purchase her recommended cookbook. At first, I wasn't so sure, but the more I read through the cookbook the more I like it! It shows pictures of all the cooking tools, tells it's name and identifies what it can be used for. It explains what each spice is and the best way to use them. It shows how to cut and cook different meats. The book has simple basic recipes for about everything you can think of. If you're already an experienced cook...say your mom or grandma taught you well growing up, then this may not be the book for you. I think it would make an awesome gift for someone learning how to cook or who just got married.

pillow case

Somehow time is slipping by so quickly. I found some pictures from some time ago that I never got around to posting. Today I will share my unknown sewing talent. I needed a pillow for my chair at work for back support so I mimicked an old pillow case of my mother-in-law's. I found some fabric that I had on hand so it didn't cost me a thing other than a couple of hours of my time. The pillow didn't work out for my chair, but I am using it on my couch at home.

BEFORE

...AND...

AFTER

answer to last post...

Tim figured from her reaction that the cashier lady thought that he is not Ruben's biological father.

I have been noticing lately that Ruben has all same interested of Tim. His favorite toys are cars & trucks (his favorite Cars toy is Mater) and tools. He loves to put objects inside of other things and drag things out of my cabinets. Maybe we should have named him Timmy Jr...

Makayla has been spending as much time as possible playing with her new neighborhood friends. We found that one girl plays mean. A neighbor lady told us one day. Tim told Makayla to fight back, then maybe the girl would back down. Makayla came home this weekend upset after finding the other girl doesn't back down. We haven't seen her since Tim met her at the front door and told her that Makayla is not coming out to play with her because she is being mean.

where does he get that red hair from?

Tim walked Ruben up to the local convenience store today to pick something up. The lady at the counter awed over Ruben's red hair. She then proceeded to ask if his mom had red hair. After Tim responded with no, she looked down with an "oh" look on her face.

What do you perceive this means? I will tell you what Tim thought after I hear your response.

to my committed readers...

To all of those to who await my new posts, I greatly apologize. Many new changes have come about in my life within the last few months. I started working full time again. I have been quite busy with settling into our new home and community. Not to mention, I don't even know when I will have internet service in my home again. The internet is a very useful tool, but it's not a necessity right now. I haven't found the time to knit or do my favorite things other than just enjoy my new space with my family. On the other hand, I have been using the gym at work, and eating much better...sometimes frugal life and priorities make you do that :) Occasionally, I may get the chance to post on my lunch break at work. But not to worry, this is not the end of my blog. I will try to continue to post. I am still all about being frugal and learning new things, but I think a lot of that has switched over to Tim for now since I am away from home all week.

9 years of marriage

Nine years ago today, Tim and I stood in the middle of a pretty flower garden in the sweltering heat committing the rest of our lives together. We didn't even notice that if the pastor took one step back, he would have fallen into the water fountain. Thinking back through the last 9 years, we have been through a lot together. We have many more years to go, but it seems to get easier each year. Marriage really teaches you to humble yourself and become less self-centered. If we had never allowed God in our relationship, it never would have became so easy.

long journey

We have been on a long journey. I have often compared to myself to the Israelites wondering in the dessert for 40 years before making it into the promise land. I can't say that we are to that "promise land" yet, but we are going onto a bigger step. Three years ago we sold our house, and move in with Tim's parents. Our goal was to stay here a short time while searching for a smaller community to settle in. Many changes have gone through our lives in the last years that were definitely not easy, but for the good. Ruben came into our lives, and I had the opportunity to stay home for a little over a year. God has shown me how to slow down, be patient, build relationships with my children and submit to my husband. Many people think that submitting to your husband means doing everything on his command, but that's incorrect. Submitting to your husband means trusting his decisions and respecting his judgement.
Tim left his job 10 months ago in search for another in a smaller community. It may have not been the best idea, but it has really given our family an opportunity to build relationships, sit back and see what our true desires are and most importantly learning to submit to God. We have had many insults and nasty comments from others around us, since we have lodged in my in-law's house, but only we truly knew...and only tid-bit pieces at a time...what God was leading us to do. It wasn't always easy and there were many times we wanted to leave, but we also knew it wouldn't be wise without God's will. But if you really get down to it...only in America is it unacceptable to continue living with your parents in adulthood.
I have recently accepted a full time job back where I worked before Ruben was born. It was a very hard decision for me to make since God had just spend the last year preparing my heart to be a frugal homemaker. But since then, God has shown me that he is going to use me as his instrument while I am at work. I am so excited! And I am so excited for Tim because God is continuing to work in him while he is at home. Removing yourself from everyday work life and continued interaction with the world can really do a change in you. Since I stayed home for a while, I have more confidence in myself. Tim is learning to trust God and doesn't have the day to day peer pressure. Now I'm NOT saying to become a hermit. I am saying that sometimes it takes removing yourself from the world for a short period to see things from a different perspective. And sometimes God puts you in situations to make you trust Him to stay sane. Since going back to work, I have struggled with insecurities, but this time it's different. I have learned to be strong in prayer and to not let the devil overtake my mind.
This weekend we are finally moving to our own space...an RV in the driveway! Just kidding. We are moving to a smaller, local community. We are purchasing a home that we can pay off in a few years. It's funny, we traveled all over the state trying to figure out where to move, but we ended up just a short drive from where we are already living. But we did get to see a lot of beautiful places we never would have gone. We now have a different perspective on life. Screw the American Dream! We can survive with less space and items. We don't need shiny new cars or the big fancy house. Those things would just put us into debt. We have learned the value of our family, and how to survive without relying on worldly things. And most importantly, we are trusting in God, following His will and allowing him to work in our lives.

knitted butterfly wash cloth

I knitted this butterfly wash cloth for my mom for Mother's Day. My sister and I made a lasagna dinner for her, and Makayla even picked a cute "grandma" Mother's Day card out for her. BUT I forgot to give her the wash cloth. I found it in my knitting drawer a couple of days ago. I got the pattern from Wicket Stich. My mom recently bought herself butterfly decor for her bathroom so I though this would be a great surprise for her.

P.S. When I gave my sister her knitted lighthouse wash cloth for her birthday, my mom thought it was for her and attempted to take it home with her so, of course, I had to knit one for my mom. By the way, here is the pattern for the lighthouse wash cloth. I didn't post a picture because I used a mulit-color yarn which made it hard to see the design.

low-budget eating

I want to share the article "Feeding a Family for $300 a Month" through the Pioneer Thinking newsletter that I received through email. With the price of groceries and everything going up, this article gives great tips on shopping and feeding your family frugally. Many people are already familiar with this procedure, but it's still refreshing to read and just may give you a few more ideas.

james cash penney

James Cash Penney (a.k.a J.C. Penney) is the article of the month in our Electric Coop Extra. He is the founder of J.C. Penney department stores. He led his life as a devout Christian. His father, a Baptist minister, taught him to live by the Golden Rule...

"Do undo others as you would have do unto them..." (Matt 7:12)

His hometown is where I lived the first five years of my life - Hamilton, MO. Reflecting back, I can remember going to the J.C. Penney Museum adjacent to the library countless times. They moved his boyhood house into the center of town. I also remember going to the J.C. Penney department store downtown before it closed. I used to beg my mom for a penny so I could have a gumball out of the shiny red globe stand. I can still visualize the chairs in the back of the store where people would sit to have their feet measured, and someone would assist them in trying on shoes. They even sold fabric by the yard.

It's said that James C. Penney did not practice selling items to customers using credit, but ironically today J.C. Penney department stores have their own line of credit that they provide to their customers to which they make most of their money.

my first knitted pair of socks

My goal in learning how to knit has been to make socks. I finally took a step toward that goal. I intended for these to be mine, but they ended up as Makayla's. I looked for a pattern specifically for short socks, and came up with this One Skein Sockettes pattern which I found on the Knitting Pattern Central web site. While making the second sock, I realized that I did not knit the correct number of rows for the heel flap on the first one which is why they became Makayla's socks. This pattern was not written for a beginner, but with the help of the tutorials at KnittingHelp.com I at least accomplished a pair of wearable socks even though they don't look that nice.

human video

Mary sent the human video below to me. The youth at her church preformed it. By the end of the video, I was very moved by the message. It truely shows how God takes care of us.

...I can't get the video to embed into my post so you'll have to go here to see it.

God's will for change

I am weighed down with making a major decision in our family life. This is a change that I was not expecting to come so soon, and was quite unwilling to accept. Tim and I talked about it Sunday night as we ran to town to do some errands. I was feeling very heavy that I needed to pray about it so when we got home I went into my bedroom alone and prayed.

Did I pray that God would give me what I wanted? No. I prayed for God's will, and that he would close the door for this opportunity if it wasn't His will. While praying, God reminded me that my doubt for this change was not of Him, but from Satan. I felt that I could not make this change because I was inadequate or not up to par for it. Only Satan would put those thoughts in our head to keep us from accomplishing something God wanted. God would give a warning or simply close the door for the opportunity. God does not tear us down or make us feel unworthy.

The next day, I was listening to Charles Stanley on the radio. He was talking about people acting on their feelings rather than waiting on God. It was then that I realized that my reasons for not wanting to make this change was mostly selfish reasons.

missouri river

Makayla, my little photographer,

took a great landscape picture one day when her and Tim went exploring.

Tim is facinated with rivers and large bodies of water,

Makayla could play in water for hours,

And I...well...I find water useful.

easter beagle knitted cloth

I knitted my first wash cloth for Makayla for Easter. It's hard to see because I used a multi-color yarn, but if you look closely, you will see it looks like Snoopy. Makayla has a stuffed Snoopy that she calls "Easter Beagle". I guess because she saw the Charlie Brown Easter show one year. Anyhow it seems fitting to make for her for Easter. I got this "beagle dishcloth" pattern from Knitwits-Heaven.com.

right to homeschool

Recently there has been some issues in California whether homeschool educators (such as parents) should be require to have a degree to homeschool. Gov. Schwarzenegger supports homeschooling as it is now. I am asking that we continue to pray for homeschooler's rights, and that God continues to have a hand on this situation. I feel that once one state passes the law that parents are required to have a degree, it will eventually become that way all across the US. We don't need a degree to understand our child's learning style, or how to work with them. We've done it every day since they were born. As parents, God put us as our child's number one instructor. It is our duty to make sure that our children are raised under God's instruction.

HSLDA update

where I've been lately

I am seriously back to doing Weight Watchers. I have hit a weight that I have not been at in years (not including my last pregnancy), and I have to make a commitment NOW. I am finding that coffee with cream and sugar is one of my biggest crutches. Also, I don't get enough exercise. Lori told me that strength exercises (not necessarily cardio) are suppose to boost your metabolism. Tim and I are in a competition to see who can loose 25 lbs. first. The winner gets $50 to spend however they choose. All Tim has to do is quite drinking Mountain Dew, but that's not going to happen so I may have a chance.

I am now working temporarily back where I worked before Ruben was born. I am filling in for a lady on maternity leave for 6 weeks. It's good to be back in a familiar place...even though it's a new building and at least half the faces are new. Anyhow, 5 hours a day takes up a lot of time from home so I haven't had much time to make new posts.

I will have an Easter present that I knitted for my daughter coming soon.

2 more diaper soakers

I purchased new prefold diapers and snappi fastners. It took me a few days, but I got the hang of putting the diapers on Ruben. The first day Ruben peed right through his diaper all over Tim. So I sewed some flannel inserts, and we have no problems. Now he rarely pees through his diapers.

I have completed two more diaper soakers.

Soaker 2

I knitted a lower waist line on the second soaker, but it sits too low with the new diapers.

Soaker 3

The third saoker was knitted in the round so it doesn't have a seam. It feels softer and looser. This one is my favorite.

oil free hair method

I have a friend (I'm not going to mention her name because I don't know if she wants to be known on the web) who asked me if I had come up with a homemade shampoo yet. Well, that one is tricky. Some things are just cheaper to purchase at the store. I don't buy the cheapest shampoo because I am particular with my hair type, but I don't buy salon shampoo. I start from the cheapest work my way up until I find one that works for me. I'm sure there are natural/organic (without added chemicals) shampoos available, but I'm not familiar with them.

My friend went on to tell me that she has very oily hair to the point that she doesn't even use conditioner. I have read in the past that you can do a quick dry wash shampoo with baking soda if you are pressed for time. You sprinkle baking soda on your hair, leave it in a minutes or two and comb it out. I gave it a try recently. It made my naturally dry hair feel even dryer. Not to mention, that it was also very difficult to run a comb through my curly hair. So in my theory this method would work very well for my friend and anyone else who has very oily hair. If you try this, please leave a comment and let me and others know how it works for you.

knitted diaper soaker

I completed my first diaper soaker! I used a pattern from fernandfaerie.com. I followed the pattern for the "cover knitted flat" version (toddler size). I have to fold down the waist because it's too high. The pattern called for 3" ribbing, but I will stitch a 1 1/2" ribbing on my next soaker.

Wool yarn repells water so the wetness stays on the inside of the soaker. Before the soaker can be worn and during each wash, it needs to be *lanolized (water proofed). Wash your soaker when soiled or still smells bad when dry.


(*I used the tube of Lanolin that I got from the hospital to use for soreness when nursing.)


Next I am going to purchase some new prefold diapers and Snappi Fastners. Bye, bye old falling part altered diapers and vinyal covers!


Thanks to Elizabeth for giving me this idea from a post on her blog last spring.

23 questions

I get these emails occasionally. Nobody likes to return them back to me, but I love to answer the questions so I will share with you here.

1. What is your occupation?
homemaker/stay-at-home mom; temporary, part-time telephone interviewer (I do not do phone sales or politics)

2. What color are your socks right now?
not wearing any

3. What are you listening to right now?
Dragon Tales

4. What was the last thing that you ate?
Kroger's Cinnamon Swirls in bowl of 1% milk

5. Can you drive a stick shift?
not really, haven't tried in several years

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
That's hard because it depends what you are coloring...

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
some unknown person at work

8. How old are you today?
28

9. What is your favorite drink ?
I am successfully lowering my soda intake so I will say: Diet Dr. Pepper occasionally; hot or cold flavored coffee

10. What is your favorite sport to watch?
I don't like watching sports, but if I had to I would probably choose baseball

11. Have you ever dyed your hair?
yes, but not for a few years

12. Pets?
Harley - dog

13. Favorite food?
sweets; well, if I had to choose from the four food groups I would say breads and dairy

14. What was the last movie you watched?
The last I remember...Makayla and I went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks over Christmas break

15. Favorite holiday of the year?
Christmas

16. What do you do to vent anger?
talk to my husband; pray

17. What was your favorite toy as a child?
Cabbage Patch (made by my grandma); Sunshine Care Bear (made by my aunt); Rainbow Bright; other stuffed animals

18. What is your favorite, fall or summer?
Fall

19. Hugs or kisses?
hugs

20. Cherries or Blueberries?
blueberries if they're baked in something like muffins; I don't like their thick skin

21. Do you want your friends to answer these questions on their blog?
yes

22. Who is most likely to respond?
I hate this question

23. What did you do last night?
worked; knitted

Maybe someday I will make my own list of questions that makes people give more interesting answers that people really like to read.

testing a daily schedule

I decided that my family would function better on a daily schedule. Makayla's school hours may be extended, and I will be starting a temporary, part-time job in the evenings. In Excel, I created half hour increments for each day. Each day contains a column for me and one for the kids. I started with me getting up at 7:30 and taking a shower, then getting the kids dressed and breakfast. I even set aside time for walking, cleaning and free time for myself. I will test my schedule this week to see how it works. This means we will have to follow bed times, and wake up at with an alarm. Ruben sleeps through the night now so this shouldn't be too much of a problem. I wish I could share my schedule, but I cannot upload Excel files to my blog. Once I test my schedule and adjust it to what works for us, I may post an outline of one of may days.