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.