Sabbatical

I'm taking a Sabbatical (word taken from the Sabbath--a planned rest given to us by God). Hope to see you soon after Easter Sunday.

Homemade baby sling links

Here are a couple of links for home-made baby wraps and how to use them.

Adventures of a Crunchy Wannabe

Make a Baby Sling Wrap Instructions

Mommy's toolbox--Mommy's tools

I thought you might want to know about some of my little secrets of keeping on top of larger-than-life living.

Picture #1 is of a nail-pouch I wear around the house (and was extatic to find at Lowe's for $.77!).

I keep rubber bands, sticky notes, and pen in one pocket, and use the other for putting things in which i find all over the house--small toy parts, socks, etc.

Picture #2 is a my tracking and recording page from my homeschool binder. I developed this method of keeping track of our relaxed-style homeschooling a number of years back. It is not high-tech--I just used some lined paper and a ruler one day when I was at my husband's office and had a few spare minutes--anyone could make one to suit her needs.

Picture #3 is the basket I take along with me and "station" on the floor where I am working, depending on the time of day. It contains my "brain" (common-place book), my homeschool binder, anything i need to read/file/copy, wipers, my timer, a "correction tool", my Polder street-light timer (wow! do I really love this timer!I bought it on Amazon after owning too many wind-ups that broke--this one uses a green, yellow and red light to indicate when time is winding down and is magnetic) and right now it contains potty candy.

Picture #4 contains the sum-total of my beauty routine, minus some lotion. I have learned to keep things as uncomplicated as possible so that there are onlt perhaps 2 days out of the whole year I do not have time or energy to fix myself up. Lately I have been watching for sales and buying make-up from Avon; better quality at Walmart prices.

Picture #5 is the coffee maker--not in the kitchen, but on our bathroom counter. I was inspired to make this early-morning coffe center by the ones conveniently found in hotel rooms (I rarely drink coffee, but others in the house enjoy a hot cup while we are fellowshipping together before the start of the day).

Picture #6 is me wearing my daughter Patience in my $2.50 sling--quite satisfying for both of us!

Picture #7 is a wipe-off board made from a thrifted picture fram with a piece of white paper and border embelishment inserted under the glass. I find that a wet-erase marker is better than a dry-erase for this purpose.

There you have a small tour of some of the things that make life a little bit easier and more organized. I am always looking for others. What are some of your tricks and tools?

A new spring project: A Keyhole Garden

We live at a high elevation, which means a short growing season with little rainfall. I also live on a mesa with soil I believe to be about 30% clay. All these factors are very discouraging when it comes to gardening.

Recently my husband pointed me to a video which explains a new concept of gardening that is helping people to grow food for the table in all sorts of nearly impossible situations such as ours. As the children and I watched it, we became excited. This method addresses most of our issues, as these gardens grow in Lesotho, a country in Africa with much the same conditions as we encounter.

In the past, we had to ammend the soil to the point that it was not cost-effective and made the produce more expensive than buying it at the store--and our ground was still so unyielding as to prevent us from growing radishes or carrots (refer to link below).

This method is called, "Keyhole gardening"--which is a name derived from the shape of the garden.

The kids are all energized--I am sure they have inherited a green thumb from generations back. We are planning to buy some bricks for the wall, since there aren't any rocks big enough nearby. It should be interesting to see if it actually gets "off the ground" (no pun intended).

Go ahead, make his day!

"He don't ask for much--He just wants my love--And that makes me the luckiest woman there ever was-- More than I thought I'd find--Brings joy to a simple life--As long as I'm right by his side that's alright by me."

(The Isaacs)

I love how Elizabeth George puts it, "I am on a mission from God to help my husband". Being a good wife is not about self, it's not about comfort. It is a Godly, divine, holy calling.

That's what it is--that's what God said when He made Eve, "an help meet for him". This was in the garden, before the fall, when God and man still walked together in the cool of the evening and sin had not brought shame and bondage to mankind; when things were perfect.

But I am not perfect. I have to confess that I have too often been concerned more for myself than for the ends of God and His idea of what is right and good.

There are some things I have found that get me back in God's will for my life. For one thing, I am careful about "input". I don't listen to radio, watch TV, read books or engage in conversation that caters to what I call the "girlfriend-diva" mentality. If anyone has a habit of getting me to "marinate in the negative" about my husband, or to elevate myself and what I "deserve", I avoid him/her like the plague.

I have lived through enough decades to spot destructive attitudes before they creep in. I grew up in the midst of man-hate, and I knew it was wrong, although when I got the chance to love a man, I had my own fleshly self to overcome.

Thankfully, there are sources that offer nobler, inspiring food for thought. One I am currently enjoying is Elizabeth George's book, "A Woman After God's Own Heart". There are many others, even from some secular sources--a great one is Dr. Laura Schlessinger's, "The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands" (caveat--I do not necessarily agree with everything from this woman, but her fear of God as a Jewess has leant to her some wisdom we could all benefit from).

Of course, the Bible is the best source for setting my thinking aright. I particularly like Philippians 2, 1 Peter chapters 2 and 3, and Colossians 3.

I still have to choose to think God-thoughts about him, especially if he has been grumpy or spoken before thinking--do I take an offense and run with it, or do I let it go? Sometimes it's hard to see past the little hurts that occur because we are human beings. I try and think, "What drew me to him? What has he done in his life that is tremendous? What has he done recently that made me proud to be his wife?" and pretty soon my emotions are going in the upward, positive direction.

Along with thinking good thoughts, I also try and speak good things about him outloud, sometimes to my children, to outsiders and even to my self, things such as, "I love my husband. He is such a good man. I love making his lunch, ironing his shirt, rubbing his back, building him up."

Although I am not always perfect at it, I try and put his concerns above mine each day. I noticed some time ago after my husband asked me to do some simple task for him (such as calling a repairman) that he was asking too much of me, especially considering all that I had to do already!

Upon closer examination, I came to realize that I was loading up my day with my own vision in mind, not necessarily with his aims in mind at all. Just by letting go of the few things that pleased me, but may not have been necessarily necessary (such as blogging), I was able to have time and energy for the things he needed done (by the way, he is my greatest fan--he loves when I blog, and each time I think of packing it in, he encourages me to continue, and moderates and edits for me--isn't he wonderful?).

Martha was quite busy, but only Mary knew what was good.

Another area I have had to work on is the ways I respond to my dear man. I can be biting, sarcastic, rude, disrespectful, grumpy. He has to take it, right? But why make the life of this poor man so hateful? Life on planet earth is hard enough.

Lots of the ways I speak to him are out of habit--I mimick what I have heard from others, or even from too much TV growing up, and don't realize how I sound. I have to concentrate on my speech to create better patterns. Elizabeth George encourages making a "sandwich"--responding cheerfuly and sweetly, then explaining reasons why a request may not be able to be carried out, or asking if it could be done at a later time, etc.

Men are simple--this is what he keeps telling me. Two ways I can reach directly into his heart are through his stomach and physical love.

So I purposely spoil him in these areas.

First, I cater to his tastes in food. I cook for him, and I cook what he likes--even if that means some nights we eat chicken stir-fry and I make a special meal of meat and potatoes for him (he is a basic eater--no fancy vegetables for him!). Popular nutritionists may not approve, but there are some who have suggested the things we like to eat most just may be what we need--every body is different--some need more protein, some less. Of course I give him the most healthy choices within his preferences, such as sea salt instead of regular table salt.

When I serve it to him, it is with love and a little flourish; I garnish and arrange things and make sure they are hot, or cold, as the dish requires. As a result, he doesn't like to eat any other place but home--what a compliment!

As for love--he gets the privilege of physical attention as often as it is needed, unless circumstances do not allow. This speaks to him more than any number of cute cards, fancy words, etc. When I make time and energy for him in this way, it says loudly, "I love you". I don't have the same needs as he does in these areas, but as I have put this as a priority, he automatically wants to meet my needs in the areas that feed me most.

I love spoiling my husband (did I mention how much he spoils me?)--not expecting him to be my "god", not worshipping him or expecting him to meet my every emotional need or provide for me my every heart's desire--but offering my service up to my God, as a fulfillment of His call for me on this earth--to be holy and create an outpost of heaven--"Occupy until I come..."

Large family groceries, answered questions

I thought I would take a few moments to share further on our shopping and food habits.

First, after discussion with my dear husband, I decided it would not be the best thing to share what we spend each month--too much comparing could be done. The main point being, to trust God to provide, no matter how little or how much you have. Listen to Him for wisdom, look for Him to bless your money, learn and stick to your budget.

I do this by filling a pantry, then planning meals and snacks. Although there are all sorts of pantry lists out there, I have learned what to keep on hand according to what is cheap and what we like to eat. Of course we might like to eat filet mignon, but we could better afford chicken leg quarters or pork chops. I have learned that satisfying, nourishing food does not have to be expensive, just prepared with skill and love.

For instance, my children are just as happy to eat a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich (we call these "PBJ's") with freshly popped corn and some carrot sticks as they would be with some fancy lunch salad with exotic ingredients made according to some recipe from a magazine.

I split my monhtly food budget into portions. One portion is for non-food, such as cleaning products and diapers. My basic cleaning supplies are vinegar and water in a spray bottle for shiny surfaces, all purpose cleaner like Fabuloso mixed with water in a spray bottle for general cleaning, bulk laundry soap in the big bucket, baking soda, ProForce dish liquid from Sam's Club, toilet paper, dishwasher detergent and diapers and wipers (bulk quantities). Things such as paper towels are optional. Lots of these products last more than one month, so I am not buying all of these each month. The cheapest source for diapers seems to be Walmart at this time, but this changes periodically. I am not brand-loyal when it comes to most things, diapers being one of them. Parent's Choice does an adequate job in all areas, so I buy these most often.

Another portion is for meals--and after dividing this amount into days, I come up with about what I can spend per diem each month.

Breakfasts are usually cheapest, with lunch coming in second. The dinner meal can cost a bit more. We can usually eat breakfast for under $5, lunch for about $7, and then our dinner can be $8-$10, leaving a few dollars for snacks, Daddy's sack lunch, and special occasions, etc.

But having explained how carefully I try and plan, there is usually the unforeseen--and I am just not able to cover everything with the money I receive. This is where faith comes in, and this is where I get to see God provide in wonderful ways to prove Himself.

Also, I try and buy everything I can at the beginning of the month, but I do make trips to the store for milk, bread and produce--but I have learned to rush in and out, without looking around for other objects to fill our appetites--by the way, did you know even high-priced markets will tend to have cheaper prices on these basic staples to lure us into the store to purchase other marked-up items?--self-discipline and keeping to the task at hand keeps me from buying more than I need.

Here are some of the simple meals we eat:

• Spaghetti with meat sauce (we make our own with spices and tomato paste)


• Home-made chili


• Hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes


• Cream of chicken soup


• Chicken stir-fry over rice


• Hot dogs


• Mexican beans and Spanish rice


• Sausage jambalaya (from scratch)


• Pasta with vegetable-tomato sauce


• Sandwiches of all kinds


• Stew


• London broil roast with veggies and potatoes


• Baked cut potatoes with sausage


• Homemade pizza


• Nachos


• Chef's salad


• Tacos
  

For snacks, we like carrots, popcorn, pretzels, corn chips, dried fruit, fresh fruit, and baked goods.

We do like to drink milk around here--it just seems to fly out of the refrigerator! We probably drink about 36 gallons a month--I guess you could say we need our own cow!