low-cost, easy curtains

I wanted to cover my windows with heavy curtains for the winter to help keep the cold out and save on my electric bill. The cheapest curtain I could find was just over $15 for one panel (half window) at Walmart. Instead, I purchased over-sized fleece blankets for just under $4. I folded down one short end at 3" and sewed across twice. I slipped them on the curtains rods leaving a ripple at the top. That's it! And the blankets came with a velcro ribbon so I have tie for each window. I covered 7 windows for under $35, and saved at least $190.

felted purse pattern

In my last post, I wrote that I would post the link to the knitted Felted Purse pattern. I made this purse before, but I never got around to posting it.

knitted christmas gifts

This year I knitted Tim and my parents their Christmas gifts. Let's start with my favorite:

This purse is my mom's. I knitted this pattern before, but this time I put a little extra design in it with the contract stripe color. My mom had mention that she liked the colors my cousin is planning for his wedding - teal and brown. I had some brown on hand to use up so I went with it. I so glad it turned out well. I can't find the web site for this pattern right now so I will post it later.

This wool hat is my dad's. I altered my ear flap patterns and threw in a few stripes. Although I don't wear hats, this one was hard to let go of. If anyone is interested, let me know and I will post the pattern.

This basket purse is my mother-in-law's. I used a felted yarn and purchase some bamboo handles.

I also knitted a ear-flap hat for my father-in-law which I could not post because the picture came out too dark, and pillow for my step-mom which I chose not to post because it did not turn out well.

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!