Rest?...I don't need no stinkin' rest!

---I know, my grammar ear is ringing, too!  "Double negatives in the title?  Is she crazy???"  No, I'm not crazy, I was just using them for emphasis.  (::smile::)---

Have you ever worked out and the next morning, when you crawled out of bed, your muscles were sore?  They were healing.  You see, muscles don't hurt when they are working, they hurt when they rest and are healing.  It is in the healing that they grow and become stronger.

Yep, this is how I feel most mornings.

That sounds like my life.  If you are like me you are forever busy, running around like a mad-woman, filling your schedule to capacity and then some.  Naps are rare, if ever, and as a light sleeper, even sleeping a full night through is never guaranteed.  We run at full speed all the time and think slowing down is not option if we are to get it all done.  However, slow down we must.  It is through rest that we heal and strengthen, just like our muscles.  God allows us to both work and rest.  Both are blessings worthy of praise.  But to ignore our need for rest is to reject His work in our lives.  (What?!?!)

No...it's true!!!  Rest is biblical, after all, God rested on the 7th day, right?  But it is more than just that.  As I strive toward living fully with a biblical perspective, I was reminded of this fact.  I am learning in my older age to tell myself that I will NOT get it all done and accept that IMPERFECTION is OK.  And God says that it is OK because perfection belongs to Him and Him alone.  That is one soothing fact that makes me trust Him more and decrease reliance on my own strength.  (Phew!!!)

Rest is good when we minus work for a period of time.  But, rest is godly and purposeful when we minus work and add God.

I know by His Word that God has begun a work in me, but He can't fulfil His perfect blessing-filled work in me if my schedule is full to capacity.  I must rest, in Him, for much needed physical and spiritual healing.

What Shall We Wear???

I have done a little secret series on food, shelter and clothing, all the things needed to sustain life on earth.  To God be the glory for all life sustaining things He provides so we can focus on the more important, eternity.  I have written about how I work toward being a good steward with our food.  I have written about how we try to be a good steward with our house.  This blog is about...our clothes.

Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:25-33, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the bird of the air: they neither so nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His  righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

WOW, HALLELUJAH & AMEN!!!

It seems that there is much waste in this world.  I know, that sounds like a penny-pinching dumpster diver talkin', but 'tis my opinion.  People of wealth tend to use something only once or not at all and then they are over it.  I am grateful that some who live this way have are sensitive to their wastefulness enough to donate their items to thrift stores instead of the city dump.  This IS a biblical practice.  Remember the story of Ruth?

Back to our clothes...I buy them at thrift stores.  I frequent the stores that are near well-to-do neighborhoods.  There, I am able to buy high quality, name-brand items for next to nothing.  They are gently used items and about half the items still have the tags on them.  (Once, I bought a pair of jeans with the brand tag (not price tag) on them for $5.  I had NEVER heard of the brand (paper,cloth&denim), but when I looked it up online, they were $228 jeans.  That was kind of neat!  Not that I care, I only mention it as an example of the donations I wrote about earlier.)

How often do you shop?  I shop only twice a year at the beginning of a season (spring and fall).    Summer clothes are less expensive than winter clothes.

Keep in  mind...The following prices are for the name-brand items that my kids desire and that NEVER go on sale at the stores for which they are originally bought.

What do you spend on each item?  When my three were small, I could buy a seasons worth of clothes for all of them and only spend about $100-$130 out the door (usually about $1-2 per piece average).  Now, they are older and wear adult sizes.  I am still out the door with a mere $170-$260 bill, depending on the season.  I have a $3 limit for shorts, $5 limit for jeans/pants/dresses, $2 limit for shirts and $7 limit for jackets.  After all is said and done, I like to have an average of $3-4 per piece.  Therefore, if they find a few shirts for $1 or less and MUST HAVE a $7 pair of jeans, that's fine.  At my last shopping trip in the fall of 2013, we had a $3.30 per piece average.  Not bad for winter clothes!

What is a season's worth of clothes?  Well, for each kids that is about 7 pairs of bottoms and 10 shirts.  A pair of dress pants for boys for church and a couple of dresses for my girl.  When I shop for the cold season, I spend a little more because they will also get a couple of jackets.  Sometimes, they have some things they can still wear from the previous year, so that helps, too.

You don't buy used underwear and shoes, do you?   For shoes and underwear, I do NOT buy used.  I find online deals, coupons,
last year's styles and clearance sales at local stores and buy quality items for at least 70% off.  Bed clothes are usually a part of gift giving on birthdays and Christmas, but still purchased at great discounts, as I buy them at end of season sales.

Do you shop for yourself at the thrift store?  As for my and my husband's clothes, I shop the clearance rack at a local department store and buy quality items for at least 80% off.  This works for OUR clothes because we care less about name brands and more about fit and quality.  I have a store card that gives even greater discounts and cashback to spend at the store.  I shop on the dates those discounts overlap.  My best deal was when I paid $52 and my "TOTAL SAVED" was over $300 (of course, I could not find that one to photograph).

Some of my shopping receipts.

Only putting thought into my kids clothes twice a year really frees me up to do other things.  As homeschoolers, style is less of a priority for them, I know that.  This IS all they know.  I have shopped this way for & with them since they were born.  I know this may not work for everyone, but it is one of the many blessed ways God meets our family's needs!

Homemade Granola

Loose Granola Cups

Soft Granola Bars

I LOVE to make the things I use.  I always felt that granola was too difficult to do.  I was wrong.  I tried some a friend made and fell in love.  Now, I love make my own because I can put my favorite stuff in it and make exactly how my family likes it.  I am posting 2 recipes here.  One for crunchier, loose granola and one for soft granola bars.  BOTH ARE DELICIOUS!!!

  RECIPE 1 - Loose granola (pictured above) perfect for a crunch addition to yogurt or a quick dry snack when put in individual snack cups.  Add or subtract ingredients to your liking.

SOLID INGREDIENTS
2 C Steel cut or slow cook oats
1/4 C milled flax seed
1/4 C Chia seeds
1/4 C sunflower seeds
1/4 C dried cranberry or raisins
1/4 C chopped dates
1/4 C 60% or higher cocoa dark chocolate
1/3 C sliced almonds
1/2 C shredded coconut

1.  ---Mix the above together in a large bowl.

WET INGREDIENTS
1/2 C Natural organic peanut (or another nut) butter
1/2 C raw organic honey
1/2 tsp real vanilla extract (no imitations here)
5 T real butter or organic coconut oil or combination of the two
***(coconut oil will increase shelf life)

2.  ---Combine above ingredients in a small sauce pan to met together on low heat for a few minutes.  No need to boil, just get combined and pourable.

3.  Pour wet ingredients over mixed solid ingredients.  

4.  Mix together.  Spread on a cookie sheet.  I like to use my stoneware cookie sheet here. 

5.  Press down into pan.
  
6.  Cook at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until it is all evenly browned. 

7.  Let it cool completely.  (It will be difficult to stay out of it at this point, but you must persevere.)

8.  Scoop into an airtight container(s) and no need to refrigerate.


RECIPE 2 - Solid soft granola bars 
Change the above recipe to exactly what follows.

1.  Use 1 C quick oat and 1 C slow oats
2.  Use 2 T butter and 3 T coconut oil
3.  Use smooth natural organic peanut butter
4.  Press firmly into a shallow cookie sheet.
5.  Cook only 20 minutes at 250 degrees.
6.  Let cool completely and cut into bars.
7.  I store these in the fridge to keep them more solid.

Soft Granola Bars

How God Saved Our Marriage

It kind of goes without saying...but I will say it anyway.  God is God.  He is all powerful.  He forms all things according to His perfect will.  At the time it was happening, I would not have thought, "the decisions I am making are God's way of moving me on the path to save my marriage", but in hindsight, I do believe they were.

What God has joined let no man
separate. Matthew 19:6

During the process of building our house, something else was building.  A wedge between my husband and I.  Pride was building, too.  In both of us.  We wanted things to go our own way and we were finding it increasingly more difficult to compromise.  The build was taking longer than expected and costing more than we wanted to spend.  (sound familiar?)  And, for the first time in our marriage the whispers of a particular word began to creep into my consciousness.  Divorce.  With both of us from broken homes, my husband and I had committed to making this marriage work.  "Divorce is never an option", we would say.  And at any given time I spoke those words, I meant it.  But, my desire to do the work to make my marriage last was weakening.  I could not bring myself to continue, I was tired, worn out, the house was taking everything out of me.  Now I can see, I was sacrificing my marriage on the altar of pride.  At the time, it was not so obvious.

One day I got an email from a dear friend, a sister in Christ, from the DC metro area in which we had recently lived.  She said she had bought passes to go to this marriage conference and the dates in her area were not working for her.  She offered to give them to me if we could find one.  I looked it up.  I found one, so she sent them to me.  I thought it would be nice to get away for a weekend, away from the house build, not necessarily with my husband.  However, as it was a Weekend to Remember Marriage Conference, I was obligated to take him with me.

The day came for us to leave.  It was a quiet drive to the hotel about 2 hours away.  We arrived and I was impressed with how nice the hotel was.  I put on my happy face, but I was hurting inside.  It had become clear exactly what I had gotten myself into. What if God was going to tell me that He wanted us to divorce.  That sounds crazy now, but at the time the thought seemed plausible and it terrified me.  I don't even remember what they were now, but during that first night, my husband made a couple of innocuous comments.  And I was so very quick to get angry, grab my unpacked suitcase and head for the door.  He managed to stop me each time and talk me out of leaving.  It was pretty clear we were in trouble.  I was doubtful that any conference was going to save us now.

That evening, we went to our first session.  Even then, I felt my heart begin to soften and the pressure of the wedge lessen.  The next day was a whirlwind of bible verses, prayer, and truth.  At lunch they asked us to write a letter to our spouse then read it to them.  We found a space on a grassy hill on the riverfront.
 The Holy Spirit found me there to.

Now, I won't speak for my husband, but only to my experience.  Nearly as soon as I began to think of what I would write, the wedge was removed and I became broken right there on that grassy slope.  I could hardly write for my shaking hand and the tears blurring my vision and falling to the paper.  God revealed to me in that moment exactly what a gift I had in that man who sat crying just a few feet from me.  He told me that my husband was not my enemy and that I had another "enemy" that put that d-word in my thoughts.  That His plan for our lives was that He would be glorified through our marriage and a godly legacy would be left to our three children.

I was so low that there was no way I could have gotten myself out of the pit I was in.  Only God can get the credit for lifting me out, us out.  My husband and I were restored.  We renewed our vows the next day.  June 1, 2008, is our new anniversary.  It represents the day God saved our marriage.  I am not saying that God will use the WTR marriage conference to save all marriages, I am only saying I believe that it is the path He chose to save ours.

Restored and renewed?  Yes!  Repair took some time, however.  We found that as we grew closer to God, we found ourselves growing closer to each other, just as He promised.  I thank God for my friend being sensitive to the nudge of the Holy Spirit to email me regarding those tickets.  He orchestrated it all.  Praise Him for that!

Our House

I believe that home is where the family is, so the building we live in is our house.

It was a long arduous decision and process getting here, but we believe it was God-led.  When we left Washington, DC, we intended to buy a house just east of Dallas.  We began looking near Lake Ray Hubbard.  Doors were continually shut in our faces as house after house was lost for various reasons beyond our control.  We just kept moving east down the I30 corridor.  When we got to Sulphur Springs, we decided that if we are going to live that far out, we might as well build on our family's land in Dalby Springs.

I drew up plans, found a similar one on the internet and ordered it.  The day they arrived in April, it began to rain and it did not quit all summer long (summer of 2007, if you remember).  You cannot pour a foundation on soaked sandy soil, so we waited.   We poured our foundation in November of 2007.  We did much of the work ourselves, so we did not finish until November 2008.  It was the hardest thing we had ever done and it nearly cost us our marriage.

Occasionally, when things get difficult, it has crossed my mind to ask God whether or not we are where He wants us, if building this house was His plan for us, or a mistake, and countless other wonderings.  But each time I allow my thoughts to go there, God assures me we are where He can use us.  So now I  ask, "How Lord will You use us today for Your glory?"

Today, we have a house that we have committed to the glory of God.  We have an open door policy to relatives, church family, and friends that this house is available to them to meet any need they have.  Whether parties, showers, or just a place to stay, it is theirs.  We have an honest to goodness "mi casa es su casa" mentality and way of life.  We do it not for our fame, but just being good stewards of what God has provided.  This house was given by Him and is pledged to Him.

A Quest for Clean

In an attempt to be a good steward of God given money, possessions, and health, I have made the move toward homemade cleaning products in the past year.  I make about 90% of all our cleaning products.  I would definitely call it a slow move as I have been interested in doing this for more than a decade.   Let me just say, it is easier than you think.  It saves a ton of money.  It costs just a little more time.   It is so much healthier for your family.  It is gentler on the things you clean regularly.

I have a shopping list of items I purchase very inexpensively.  I buy off brands/cheap when possible.

I use the spare space of my A/C closet and an over the door shoe hanger to store my cleaning stuff, so I can easily get to them.  I hate digging under a sink to find a cleaner.

For added thriftiness, I have repurposed bottles from when I did buy cleaning products so that the bottles are already labeled!

Click on the name of cleaners that do not have instructions to be linked to their instructions:

Laundry Detergent

Making this has generated the most savings for our family's budget.  From Tide to homemade, $.25 a load to $.02 a load.  Plus, cleaner clothes!

Laundry Stain Removers
A wet Fels Naptha bar rubbed on most stains will remove them.  A squirt of hydrogen peroxide will remove blood stains and grease stains.  Scrub with a soft tooth brush.

Dishwasher Rinse Aid
(This one is easy) Add vinegar to the rinse aid compartment in your dishwasher.  No more spots on glass!

Glass and Mirror Cleaner

Use old newspapers for a streak/lint-free shine!

General Purpose Cleaning Spray
I use this with paper towels on surfaces where I used to use cleansing wipes.  This will gently clean light dirt and dust on most surfaces.

Extra Strength Cleaning Solution
I use this paper towels on surfaces where I used to used disinfecting wipes.
This will give an extra strength cleaning to eating surfaces and disinfect porous surfaces.

Foaming Bathroom Cleaner

This will make all your metal, tile, and non-granite surfaces sparkle!

Daily Granite Cleaner
Equal parts alcohol and water in a spray bottle.  Keeps the porous surface of granite disinfected and ready for cooking.

Laminate Floor Cleaner

Equal parts water and vinegar with just 2 tablespoons of Pine Sol for color and fragrance.
Very similar to General Purpose cleaner.  Could be used interchangeably.

Daily Wood Floor Cleaner

Won't make 'em shiny,
just keeps 'em clean.

Stained Concrete Cleaner

This is a very gentle floor cleaner for our waxed stained concrete floors.
(Looks like it's time to make more!)

Fabric Refresher
I use the finest mist setting of the spray bottle.  Use just like you would a fabric refresher.

In place of Comet Powder

Baking soda has great scrubbing power like Comet.  But, to make a sink REALLY shine, wet sink, toss baking soda onto sink surface, spray it with a spray bottle of only vinegar.  It will foam then you can scrub to sparkling clean!

EXTRA HINT:  Keep a recipe card of "ingredients" used to make each cleaner with your cleaning products so when your run out, you have the instructions right there.  I keep mine in one of the shoe compartments with all my cleaners.  VERY HANDY!!!

I have a list of the things I buy still.  I buy these because the homemade versions either did not work well or did not work with our well-water.  I hope you get started on your quest to homemade cleaners much faster than I did!  Don't wait a decade, like me.

gods at war

When you put the word "idols" in the search bar of Bible Gateway there are well over 119 results, in the KJV.  One hundred and one of them are from the Old Testament alone. (Results vary depending on the version you search, but you get the point.)

Because God's word speaks mostly about idols in the Old Testament, it is easy to think that it not an issue for Christians today.  I don't personally make little metal gods and worship them.  How absurd! Recently, I have been reading the book gods at war by Kyle Idleman.  Turns out, it applies more than I originally thought.  I was taking it maybe just a little too literally.  God has shown me that the gods I worship, while not made out of precious metals and worshiped like a golden calf, they are man-made (by me) and I put them on the pedestal of my heart.  That pedestal belongs to God alone and any thing else that is there is idol worship, just like in the Old Testament.  (a light bulb moment for me)

There have been hundreds of great books written on the topic, and I guess I have known about idols in some part all my Christian life.  It is only now that God has provided me with a desire to fully explore this topic within my own life.  Praise God for that!  I love to grow in my relationship with Him.

Idleman (which I found slightly funny considering the topic) points out in his book that idol worship is not A problem in the lives of modern-day Christians, it is THE problem.  It is the source of our sin.  Through the journey of reading this book, I took an introspective journey as well and looked at the sin that reoccurs in my own life.  I could not disprove Idleman's statement that idols are the source.  It is not an Old Testament problem, it is my problem.  I am praying my way through the idols in my life, identifying them, and replacing them with the one true God.  I love that Idleman writes that you cannot simply flick the idol off the pedestal of your heart, you must replace it with God.  It is ignorant for me to replace the one true God for a For example, instead of turning to food or entertainment for comfort or escape when I am hurting, I escape to Him for comfort.  I will read His Word and pray instead.  Real application of God's Word is my heart's desire and oh so precious to me.

Idleman's gods at war POST READING TAKE AWAY:
Idleman reminds readers of the Biblical truth that our God is a jealous God, He will not share our hearts with any other god.  So instead of turning to food for comfort, sex for satisfaction, entertainment to unwind/relax, work or ourselves for provisions, other people to save/help us, or any thing else for any other gain, God wants to be our comforter, satisfaction, provider, savior, and peace.  In looking at all the names for the God in the Bible, one can see who He IS to us, who He wants to be for us.  Awesome and beautiful, isn't it!?!

Bean Bag Monsters

Felt Bean Bag Monster in just a few easy steps!

A very inexpensive party favor for a monster themed party.  

Everything you will need:
-felt sheets in a variety of colors including a couple black and white (2-3 bean bags per sheet)
-beans, popcorn kernels, beads or other filler
-needle
-thread
-measuring tape
-scissors
-chalk or washable fabric marker
-sewing machine


1.  Cut each felt piece into as many 4 in. x 4 in. squares as you can get.  I got six squares from each sheet of felt, that's 3 bean bags.  I used black and white sheets for eyes and teeth only. (At 4 sheets of felt for a dollar, that's only about 8 cents a bean bag!  See...inexpensive party favors!!!)

2.  I used the same color felt for both sides, but you can mix it up.  Pick two squares for your bean bag.

3.  NOW THE FUN PART!  Design a monster face and cut out the felt eye(s), mouth, nose, horns, mustache, eyebrows, hair, tongue, etc.  Be creative!  The wilder, the better!  For inspiration I googled "Monster's Inc." in images.

4.  Once you have cut the pieces of felt for your face design, apply them to one of your squares.  Now...this was a party for 2 year olds, therefore I chose to hand (or machine where I could) sew each item on the felt squares.  If these were for a 3 or older crowd, I guess hot gluing would work.

5. Sew around three edges about 1/8 inch from edge.

After sewing three sides.

6.  Fill the bag with filler (beans, popcorn, etc).

I had popcorn on this day, however, I did use dry beans in others.

7.  Sew final edge while carefully holding filler material out of the way.  Tricky, but doable.  I found pulling on the front corner helped.

8.  Shifting of the felt would occur.  I trimmed the edges with scissors to make them even.  But, leaving them uneven might add to the monster's character and charm.

AND...That's it!  I made about 30 bean bags for my friend's son's 2nd birthday monster themed party.  She invited about 15 kids, that means each kid will get to take home two monsters as party favors (16 cents/kid).  Each bean bag took approximately 30 minutes to make.  I could give or take a few minutes of that estimate depending on the face design difficulty and amount of hand sewing.  Plus, toward the end, I got much faster.  Here are some of the one's I made. (Some did not get photographed.)

The ones inspired by the party invitation.

Party invitation monsters, plus a few more.

First batch inspired by Google search.