Joy in the Ordinary

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in the everyday... joy in the ordinary things.

A sure sign that Spring is coming is daffodils pushing through the ground and seed packets in the stores. 

We've enjoyed a few warmer days.  Being able to go outside makes Megan very happy. 

One afternoon we had record breaking temperatures.  I love having all of the windows open. 

A treat from a favorite bakery. 

A rainy Saturday was spent working in Megan's closet.  

Everything was taken out and Chuck helped me move shelving.  Megan has grown so much that her skirts and dresses hit the lower shelf while hanging.  You can't see it but the middle shelf was cut behing the door so that the skirts can hang free from the top shelf.  

I love it!  Things were purged and sorted.  Megan struggled a little as she said she didn't like making hard decisions to let things go.  I pulled out summer clothing.  I sorted things to have play clothing on the bottom and nicer/church clothing on the top.  I've been buying clothing for our beach vacation and this will prevent them from becoming stained before our trip. 

A breakfast love note. *smile*

I love having fresh flowers on my kitchen table.  

May your day be filled with joy in the journey!

Loving One Another

Hello Friends,  I haven't been online much.  I've been trying to break my habit of getting on the computer first thing in the morning.  This morning I was passing time until Megan was ready to head out to the grocery story.  I jumped on and saw that I had a new comment on my last post.  It was from Donna at merryheartcrafts.

Dear Sweet Sister, PLEASE pray for me and my family. My sweet Julie was killed in a car accident yesterday morning on her way to college. I feel as if I am shattered in thousands of pieces and all that is holding me together is the arms of Jesus.

Donna lost her husband to illness a year ago and now her beloved daughter, Julie.  One of the things I enjoy most about the blog community is how supportive we are of one another.  How we cheer on others in their triumphs and cry together when there is deep sorrow.  I would appreciate it if you, my friends, would lift Donna and her family in prayer.  If you feel led maybe you could stop by her blog and leave an encouraging word on her last post.  I know she needs all the love, encouragement, and prayers we can provide. 

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. John 15:12

Wordless Wednesday: Valentine Edition

Happy Homemaker Monday: February 19

The weather:::   It's 50* with rain this morning.  It's suppose to be warm (close to 65*) and the rain will continue all day.  I won't complain about springlike weather.

Right now I am:::   Listening to the rain hit the metal roof on the back porch while I browse some blogs.  I'll need to finish up so I can hit the shower.

Thinking and pondering:::  Thinking about taking a couple days off from school soon to do spring cleaning.  Not sure if I want to do that or keep chugging along so we can work toward finishing the year.

On my reading pile::: When Strawberries Bloom by Linda Byler

On my tv:::  Nothing during the day.  Chuck has been turning on the Olympics in the evenings.

Favorite blog post last week:::  Nothing stuck out to me this week.

On the menu for this week::: 
      Sunday:  Swiss burgers, baked beans, cottage cheese
      Monday:  Chicken casserole, green beans, blueberry muffins
      Tuesday:  Rigatoni, salad, bread
      Wednesday: Meatloaf, roasted potatoes, green beans
      Thursday:  BBQ Chicken, corn, green beans
      Friday:  Homemade Pizza
      Saturday:  Beef & Noodles

On my to do list::: 
school
iron
dust living room
update checkbook
pay bills
clean out homeschool cabinet

My simple pleasure:::  lighting a candle on a dreary, rainy day

From the camera:::
Breakfast out with my loves.  I cherished our time together since Chuck had to work Saturday and Sunday.

Prayer List:::
Our nation and it's leaders.
Mankind as the events of last week were heartbreaking.
My husband is in my prayers daily.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:6

Hope

I have pictures on my camera roll of how we celebrated Valentine's Day. I don't know about you but my celebration wasn't as light as usual when I heard about the school shooting in Florida. I called to chit chat with my mom and she told me. I then turned on the TV for a few minutes.

 A few minutes was all I could take. As I was watching I looked into the kitchen and saw our table set for Valentine's Day. The heart table cloth, the pretty flowers, the balloon for Megan and and a gift bag in front of Megan and Chuck's plate. I thought about all of those families that had the Valentine treats or dinner plans for those they love dearly and how it would never come to pass.

 I went to back porch called Chuck, sobbed, and cried out to Jesus. My heart is broken.

 A friend posted the following on FB this morning. Jesus. Yes, the hope in Jesus is what I need.

Every broken relationship.

Every school shooting.

Every abandonment.

Every betrayal.

Every act of violence. 

Every perversion. 

Every child abduction.

Every heartbreak.

The answer is JESUS.

Jesus does not take away all your pain.

But he brings a hope that this world is not the end.

There is more, my friends.

More joy. 

More forgiveness. 

More grace. 

More love. 

More happiness. 

More worship.

More glory.

More beauty.

MORE than we can even imagine.

If you do not know that hope - the hope that can only come from Jesus - please reach out.

He loves you. 

He is waiting for you. 

He is ready to welcome you with open arms.

Jesus.

Jesus is the answer.

Joy in the Ordinary

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in the everyday... joy in the ordinary things.

My girls!  She makes me laugh and sometimes want to pull my hair out.  Either way I'm blessed to call her mine.

I've been trying to get my daily 10,000.  I don't always make it, but I'm trying. 

Poor Dinosaur joined me in the land of glasses.  *smile*

Sunday was a dreary day.  Gray, freezing drizzle and a thin layer of ice when we woke up.  Yuck!

Always creating. 

A little deep cleaning.  I've been thinking about when to start spring cleaning.  

Sunshine! Oh, how this makes me happy. 

Finally some play outside weather. 

A grocery store bouquet just because it makes me happy. 

The table is set for Valentine's Day.  It'll be breakfast for two and then Chuck will be here for dinner.  We like to keep it simple. 

May your day be filled with joy in the journey!

Happy Homemaker Monday: February 12th

The weather::: 

It's currently in the 20's.  It's suppose to be in the upper 30's this afternoon and I hear the sun will make an appearance.  I don't know about you, but the sun does a ton for lifting my spirits.  I'm looking forward to some sunshine!

 Right now I am::: 
I'm browsing blogs and trying to wake up.  I have the Monday morning blues!  I plan to make oatmeal and hot tea when Megan wakes up.

 Thinking and pondering::: 
I'm pondering how to get my motivation back.  I've lost my giddy up and go.  I'm sure some of it has to do with the winter time lazies. *wink*

 On my reading pile::: 
Nothing at the moment.  I finished A Miracle of Hope by Ruth Reid Saturday evening.  I'll pull a new book off of my shelf this week.

 On my tv::: 
I don't turn on the TV much during the day.  Chuck will have it on this evening.

 Favorite blog post last week::: 
With Lot in the Gates of Sodom from Brenda @ Coffee, Tea, and Me.  I related to it on so many levels.  It reminded me of Romans 12:2.  It's not always easy being in the world, but not not of the world.

 On the menu for this week::: 
       Sunday:  Roasted Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
       Monday: Pot Roast, Rolls
       Tuesday:  Chicken Pot Pie
       Wednesday: Lasagna, Salad, Garlic Bread
       Thursday:  Chicken Noodle Soup
       Friday:  Chili, Cornbread
       Saturday:  Grilled Chicken, Green Beans, Parmesan Noodles.

 On my to do list::: 
         *Homeschool
         *Dust living room
         *Make dough for rolls
         *Sew a curtain to cover a shelf in the office

 My simple pleasure::: 
        Enjoying a cup of tea.

 From the camera::: 

I purchased a new to do list.  I'm hopeful this will help motivate me as I do like to mark things off of a list.

 Prayer List:::
*Our country and it's leaders.
*My husband is in my prayers daily.
*I'm praying regarding our church situation.  We've been going to a new church and Chuck wants to keep attending.  I'm not sure as it's much larger than what we are use to.  (Two services with a weekly attendance of over 1100)  I'm following my husbands lead and praying that we'll both feel peace if this is meant to be our new church home.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:6

Penny Smart #4

This a place where I share how I've stretched a penny, saved a penny and in many cases spent no pennies.

Earlier in the week I picked up some groceries.  As a little pick me up I selected some mark down flowers. 

They add a little sunshine to my day.  I justify the expense by telling myself that this bouquet is less expensive then therapy or a tropic vacation for beating the winter blues. *smile*

My mom spotted some marked down ham.  We had this brand of ham last year and it was good.  

The original price per pound was $3.99 and they were marked down to $1.29 a pound.  I did the math at one point and it turned out to be approximately 67% off of the original price.  I purchased three.  They were in the range of five to six pounds and for my little family of three I can cut each ham into thirds before adding to my freezer.  

Chuck came home with some change he found at work.  This time it was seventeen pennies and one dime that went into the change jar.  

I joked that this person must be in a much higher pay grade than Chuck since they can throw away 27 cents!  It was happily added to our change jar. 

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. 
Proverbs 13:11

It's a great reminder to tackle our financial goals bit by bit.

So there you go.  I hope this encourages you to do things to save money.  The old adage that every penny counts seems to apply more and more these days.  I find it's much harder to stretch my pennies into nickles. *smile* I find it encouraging to hear about other frugal adventures and I hope you do also. 

May your day be filled with joy in the journey!

No Spend Month

Hello February! It seems that January has flown by. It was a very good month. Generally January is a hard month. Thankfully we haven't had a ton of snow and I've been out and about quite a bit. Sadly that out and about means I've spent a little bit more than I had put in the budget. Yikes!

Today is the day that I steer this ship back onto course. February will be a no spend month for us. Actually our first no spend month ever!

What does that mean. Well, exactly what it says... no spending. I guess I should clarify that there will a little bit of spending. Of course the bills will be paid. There are also a few groceries such as milk,  fresh fruit and veggies to purchase. It will be the minimum needed to get by. I went the grocery store earlier in the week and have a full pantry and freezer. Don't worry we have plenty to eat!  I'll update you each week of the month if there is any spending on groceries.

Many of you might ask why February and not January as that seems to be the go to no spend month.  Besides the overspending in January the van needs some work.  The main thing is a new radiator.  In order to get us by while we save to take care of that repair we can can buy a can of stop leak if the leak gets worse.  Chuck isn't sure that it will work but it's worth a shot if needed.

Besides saving for the van repair we need to save for vacation.  I know, I know. How can we take a vacation when we are knee deep in debt.  We agreed to this vacation before the medical bills grew and the vehicles need repairs.  We seriously thought about cancelling.  In doing so we would have lost money as we have been paying for the beach house.  We also factored in the fact that Megan will be 12 this summer. The years for family vacations is slipping away. 

After the vehicle and vacation funds are filled we will back to full force debt reduction.  Follow along as we tackle a no spend month.

May your day be filled with joy in the journey!