31 Days to Clean

I will be participating in a weekly challenge based upon the new E-Book by Sarah Mae called "31 Days to Clean- Having a Martha House the Mary Way".  I am very excited to participate! I am praying that it will help me push through one of the undisciplined areas in my life.

Since I started homeschooling 7 years ago my house has gone down hill.  I find it difficult to get the house truly clean.  My heart desires it so!   This book deals with both the heart and the home. So very exctied!!

Check it out if you would like to join.

http://joyfulmothering.net/2011/04/22/31-days-to-clean-challenge-sign-up-plus-winners-announced/

Here’s how the challenge will work:

1. Read the chapters each day that week. Highlight, take notes, do what you have to do to engage the material. Don’t just read it. Really allow it to change you. Journal, pray, look up scriptures.
2. Write a post (or more, if you like) sharing your most challenging chapter for that week and give us a personal glimpse as to why you struggle in this area. Don’t worry! We all have an area of struggle, so we will all be sharing! Share what you need that could help you in that area. I will be posting a struggle, but also some extra solutions to accompany what Sarah Mae has offered. If you feel compelled, why not also share something that comes easily for you? Perhaps you could offer tips to others who may be struggling?
3. Use the button in your post so that others can find their way back in case they would like to join us. The more the merrier! I have changed the code so it brings you to the list of “31 Days to Clean” posts. You can find the button in my sidebar.
4. Link up your post(s) on Friday, beginning May 6th . It doesn’t matter what day you choose to write your post, you can still link it up on Friday.

Looking forward to what God has in store!

What did you do for spring break?

This last week we have been taking our spring break. I had great and mighty plans to spring clean, garden, decorating projects, some fun car trips, movies to watch, you know fun and enjoyment.
Well it seems as every day I was lucky to get one room deep cleaned. As the week went on it was, almost, all I accomplished. I ended up not even finishing.

I did get this hole finished. I started with this

After taping and applying three coats of texture, I sanded. After that I painted and ended up with this

It is hard to take a picture where you can fully see it.  However, trust me, it looks much better then the before shot :).

Then I attempted to strip a table.  I goofed and failed to take a before picture.  I found this table in a garage of a house that we rented.  The landlord said I could have it.  So I had first painted it white.  Then as years past, I painted it red.  I decided that I really wanted a more distressed look. So I figured I would do some stripping and some sanding and see where I ended up. Well.....

Not really what I had in mind. Once I started though, I couldn't just stop.  Getting it this far took me three days and lots of frustration.  In spots the red mixed with the white and I ended up with pink areas.  I also struggled with clumps of paint that would not come off but now was just a gummy ball of mess. It is sitting outside while I decide on how to forge ahead.  I am contemplating leaving it like this, applying some furniture wax, and calling it good.  Or paint it again.  Decisions, decisions.  Good thing I like the weathered, forgotten, look :)

I then moved on to the garden.  We moved into our house almost two years ago.  The first year we planted our garden on the side of the house and had a terrible year.  So this year we picked a new site.  Hubby rototilled, we added compost and mixed that in. I removed some of the larger stones but as you can see it is still rocky.  Let's face it, we are lazy gardeners.  

Tomatoes

The blank spots WERE cantaloupe and basil. They immediately were eaten by some unknown bug.  We will plant more in their spot. 

Our pumpkin.

Bell peppers and cucumber, which is also being eaten :(.

We have tried to figure out what pest is dining on our vegies, but so far, it is not happening.  So we have spayed some organic bug be gone (not the real name) and are patiently waiting to see what happens. I have plans to add a few more things and then mulch it all.  Like I said, didn't get to everything I had planned.  

In the middle of our week, the kids started getting sick.  One at a time it went through the house. We ended up having a VERY quit Easter.  I was such a mean mom, I dragged my sick boy to church on Sat. night so that we could all go as a family.  I did keep him with me but I did feel a little guilty.  I just really wanted my whole family together for Easter service and I knew that it wouldn't last longer then an hour.  He did well, came home and crashed. His fever broke sometime in the night and he woke up today fever free.  Yeah!! He was the last one to get it. 

So that was it for spring break.  We started back to school schedule today.  I think I want a do over. ;)

Should I Stay?? Or Should I Go??

***First off let me say that I am not getting anything for this opinion.  I am just sharing out of my own experience and promoting something that has saved me time.***

It has almost been a year since I signed up for E-Mealz.  E-Mealz provides a weekly dinner menu along with a shopping list.  They claim that their dinner menu costs you about $70 at the grocery store.  Basically what they help you do is plan. I still would have to plan for breakfast, lunch, and snacks but dinner would be taken care.

See, I was feeling like I was in a rut.  Making the same thing for dinner.  When I would venture out I was literally spending hours scouring the cookbooks and making my list.  Guess what?  I don't have hours.  I also felt like I could do it for less, $70 just for dinner was too much.  I am frugal.  I am a stay at home mom by choice.  Which means we sacrifice things. I have strived to keep our monthly food budget at $300 a month for our family of 5.  This has gotten harder since the kids have gotten bigger, but I don't splurge on things.  Snack around here is popcorn, usually the old fashion kind that you must cook on the stove, and some fruit or a veggie, sometimes they get yogurt.  After my kids visit their friends homes, they come back and let me know how deprived that they are. :)

After using this new plan, my grocery bill has been about $125 a week.  That is ALOT for us! My goal is to get that down but for now that is what it is.

Lately I have been debating wether or not to keep using E-Meals.  I have absolutely loved it and it truly has saved me time, effort, and energy.  The question was, am I really saving money?  Could I cut that out  of my budget and save more myself?  So this week I thought I would just shop for the dinner menu and see if in fact I was spending the ballpark figure of $70 for dinner items.

We just got a Fresh and Easy in town and I really like it!   I usually do my shopping at Winco but this time I decided that I would go to Fresh and Easy.  All total I spent $62.00.  I did use one $6.00 coupon and I did get some apple turnovers that were not on the list.  That was for 7 dinners.  After doing this little experiment I have decided to stick with E-Mealz.  Although it cost me a little more, the time saver of what it does for me is too much to give up.  It's also nice that we are trying new meals and I don't even have to do the work to find them.

Tech Savvy.....Or Not

I didn't start a blog because I am all tech savvy :).  I took classes back in school and I always worked with computers so I knew enough. Then we got a MAC.  Well I was stuck scratching my head and wondering what to do.  What I had learned no longer was useful.  Of course it was then that I would listen to the voices around me that where pushing me to start a blog.  So it was my daughter, Mariah, who got me started.  She set my original page up.

Then I decided I would poke around and see what I could figure out.  Well let's just say, I have been learning by A LOT of error.  She looked at my blog yesterday and laughed because I have lost things that use to be there and now they are gone.  Just vanished......out in Never Land. Say hi to Tinker bell for me...Anyhoo, I am learning and she is still helping (laughing the whole time).  So, while I learn, bear with me and please extend grace :) Things may look like they are in a state of chaos, but I know exactly what I am doing and if I can't figure it out, I will find someone who does.  Yes, Mariah, that would be you.  Do you like my new header??  She had to show me how to do that too...welcome to my life.

To Be More Like Jesus...

I have the most amazing privilege of leading a homeschool group.  I am always humbled by the women I am surrounded by and often ask God "Why did you pick me?"

One of the recurring need that had been talked about was a bible study for the moms.  Well it was someone else's idea, so I stood back and waited for them to take off with it.  After almost a year, I found myself with no study going and an odd open window of time.  So, I made the offer.  We ended up with 8 ladies and I have to tell you, it has been so refreshing to talk to other like minded women!

We are studying 'Brave-Questions Women Ask' by Angela Thomas. So far we have only done lesson 1.  Guess what the title of that lesson is???? WEARY. How fitting for us mom's to come together and talk and learn about weary. What mom isn't weary??

I love it when God speaks right to your heart. You know we live in these human bodies.  They get sick, they get disease, they break, they just plain wear out.  A lot of times we in our humanness add to the worn out bodies by adding too much to our plate.  One thing she shared that was so refreshing for me was that Jesus did not heal everybody and he did not go everywhere.  I can not be everything to everybody.  I can not do it all. I know that sounds so simple.  But being a doer and a fixer, this does not come easy to me.  I so desperately long to hear "well done" from my Father.  The goal in my christian walk is to become more and more like Jesus.

Well then, I must remember that He did not go everywhere and He did not heal everyone.  He could have but he didn't.

Blink-The Bunny

Meet Blink, the newest Stone pet.  She is an angora bunny.

She was named after Blink 182. We discussed changing her name, but she is already over 7 years old and I didn't want to confuse her.  As the funny man in the house said, "Not like bunnies come when they're called..." Not like the children do either, but you don't see me changing their names.

She has claimed her.

Zammie is so interested in this fluffy thing that hangs outside with her.  We have let them sit out on the grass together.  Zammie so desperately wants her to play and doesn't understand why she won't chase with her like the cat does...

                           

I agreed because bunnies can be useful.  The gifts that she gives daily is said to be the best fertilizer for your garden.  Our garden did not do well last year.  This is our second year in our home and so we are trying a new location and more compost.  So if bunny can help then she has a home here. :)