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.