You are Enough!

This truth has been really hitting me lately, that I am enough. How completely refreshing, knowing that I simply am enough! It's contrary to what the world tells us, and what we tell ourselves. I often feel the need to be improving, learning, and doing. I feel the need to better myself and strive towards, better. Better health, better wife, better mom, better at schedules, better at homeschooling, better at organizing... Life in general seems to find me constantly coming up short.

Generally it's a good thing to strive to learn and be productive and help those around you; but things can become unbalanced quickly when you feel yourself constantly coming up short. Notice I used the word "feel." Feelings are neither good nor bad, it's what you do with them and how you use them that dictate the good or bad that can come of your feelings.

So what do I do with my feelings of inadequacy? Normally I start with a list! And then that materializes into hours spent reading books, blogs, Pinterest, and compiling a four week plan! But where is all this getting me? And where is the bench mark for me to check if I am enough? We all know not to measure ourselves against others, so what do we use? Ourselves? Yesterday? Last year? I don't think any of those things are really useful in letting us know if we're doing alright long term. I have used all those comparisons, but yet somehow, at almost 30 years old I can't seem to ever feel like I have it together enough. I'm never quite balanced enough, doing enough. I constantly struggle with being enough.

So where do we go? Well, God's word of course! What does God say about us and how we should view and measure ourselves?

We all come up short and lacking!

For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God,
Romans 3:23


Rules and laws don't just show us what to do, they prove we can't always follow the rules and laws!
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
Romans 3:20

So where do we turn?

 

God is all about grace and giving that grace to us! He saves us from messing up the rules and failing. Grace isn't a onetime thing, but a gift we receive every, single, day. Why? Because He loves us. It's His gift to us.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--
Ephesians 2:8

We should stick close to God, because anything good we do will only be because of Him!
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5



We can boldly say, the Maker of Heaven and Earth helps ME! What more assurance do we need that we are going to be alright?!
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:2

It's always good to learn new things and how to run things around us a little more smoothly, but the things we do or don't do should never be an indicator of if we're "enough." Because we are never enough! Only God is enough. And it's only in Him that we are at rest. It's only when we are abiding, trusting and depending on God and His grace are we enough. It sounds simple doesn't it? Almost too easy? It is! It's simply-

enough.

Good Morning Dear...

Good morning dear friend, and what a wonderful morning it is!

Not that there's anything specific about today or this morning compared to other mornings, but just the fact that it is morning makes my heart glad! I wasn't so glad on first waking up. Every inch of my body felt exhausted and I wanted to stay under the warm covers. The room was so cold and wrapped up in my little cocoon of snuggly warmth the last thing I was thankful for was the fact that it was time to get up!
But I got up, stumbled around a bit as I made hubby a lunch, and took out the dogs. After he left I sat there in the kitchen sipping my mug of hot water ( did I mention I lost my voice?!) staring blankly at the floor while thoughts of the upcoming day came rushing in before I even had a chance to feel awake.
Kids, attitude issues, school, teaching, today's obligations, tomorrows obligations, what am I making for dinner, will I have time to stop for gas this morning, will my voice return so I don't sound like an ogre at today's MOPS meeting... Everything came flooding through at once before I even had all the sleep out of my eyes!

This happens to me often. It doesn't seem to matter whether I  wake up early or later, but upon waking my mind goes from groggy to fast forward in the split of second. I have two options then: have my coffee and get going with my day and start on my list of things, or take time to spend one on one time meditating on God's word and seeking His face in the quite.

Seeking Christ is what my soul longs to do! I want to feel His peace and His presence and His calm in my life. But that requires my time, which is so hard to hand over to Him. It's not for a lack of trying though! I sit in the quite, knees bent and eyes closed to come forward to Him with prayer, and if I'm not falling asleep I'm trying to block the running list of things going through my head. Waiting still before the Lord is most definitely a learned attribute! And it amazes me after 15 years of morning prayer time I still struggle with waiting quietly and patiently before the Lord!

But here I am again, sitting with God's word and my journal, head bent in prayer, trying to hear Him and block out the noise coming within. He reminds me that if I seek Him with all my heart, I will find Him. He accounts for our humanness. He knows our minds wander, that we sometimes feel overwhelmed and don't know where to even start having "quite time" with Him. And I'm remained once again that it's ok!
My heart longs for close communion with Him. He knows this, He built me like this. He built us all like this. He didn't design us like this to make us frustrated once we try to commune with Him and fail. He built us like this so we see how human we are and how much we need Him to fill us up, meet us where were at and pick us up where we let go.

In the midst of my jumbled prayer time I let go. I gave my everything to Him, my short little attention span and loss of words, and just asked Him to guide me. And He did! I opened my bible and read this today:

Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name;

make known among the nations

what He has done.

 

Sing to Him, sing praise to Him;

tell of all His wonderful acts.

 

Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek

the Lord rejoice.

 

Look to the Lord and His strength;

seek His face always.

 

1 Chronicles 16: 8 - 11

 

 

All a once my frustrated, jumbled bible time melted away. I gave thanks to the Lord for my blessings, a simple prayer of thanks. I love Him and seek him, and sometimes that's enough. There doesn't always need to be a lengthy prayer time, but just a meaningful one where we seek Him and He guides us towards a verse or puts joy and peace in our hearts.

As I seek Him this morning and let go of expectations and struggle with getting my own self under control, I'm reminded by Him once again that I must seek Him and His strength always, in everything, because He can do more in 2 minutes and a few verses than I could ever do in an hour of dedicated, quite time. Being renewed by Him in the mornings, whether it be in 5 minutes or 50, reminds me that I can lean on Him all day to help me with everything. Somehow all the million things I couldn't keep from running through my brain has stopped and is now calm. God's got this and it's all under control, just like He's got me. And you. Or anyone who can pause just long enough this morning to say,

 

"Good morning Lord! I love you, I need you, I seek you and want to know you. I don't always know where to start or what to do, but that's ok. You do. You know everything and you hold everything. Hold me today Lord. Help me to know you. I love you, I praise you, and I thank you Lord for Your faithfulness. Let my life shine Your light,

Amen~"

 

So... Good morning dear one! :)

 



Morning

Credit:houseandgarden.uk.com

Although they come early and I'm often fumbling around for the first little while, I love mornings. Sometimes warm and inviting, other times bright and energizing, or even cloudy and agnsty; they always signify a new beginning and a chance to start all over again. It doesn't matter what happened yesterday or what's going to happen tomorrow, today has dawned and it's fresh and new and the possibilities always seem so endless! It's like opening up a new leather bound journal and seeing all those blank, crisp white pages and you sit there holding a pen.

What kind words could you say that would burn brightly into someones life today? How can you help someone in your family today? Like really help, the kind of help that makes them sleep well at night when they think of the way you touched their life? You don't have to be amazing to touch someone's life in an amazing way, you just have to love them the way they need loving that day.

Credit:buzzfeed.com

There's adventure out there too. Lot's of adventure.

credit:hercampus.com

You should try something new today. There's always something you want to do or look into, today should be that day for you. You try it. Whatever your "it" thing is. Do it!

I love new days and I'm thankful to worship the God that creates them! Today is your day, go write it!

credit:stocksy.com

~ My 100th Blog Post (!) and Some Words about Minimalism ~

How is it mid-June already? The summer comes and goes quicker and quicker each year! We have had a lot going on this year, but I'm trying to find that delicate balance between filling our time with fun and still taking a moment to just breathe and "be". This,of course, can be very hard with three very high energetic and active children! But that brings me to the subject of this post: minimalism. 

The dictionary definition of minimalism:

Definition of MINIMALISM

1

:  a style or technique (as in music, literature, or design) that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity

I don't like the word "extreme". Extreme is a word I try to stay away from in almost all aspects of my life, but it helps paint a picture. "Extreme simplicity" isn't necessarily a bad thing though. :) But aside from all that, I am working on taking a minimalist approach to my household. I simply spend to much time cleaning, organizing, and fussing with all of our stuff! I want it to end! I love plating with my kids, creating, exploring, reading and just... 'being" Even when I'm keeping up well with house work, there's just to much of it! I don't want to spend so much of my time maintaining a clean household and keeping up with our many items, I want to be living life! Not sorting through another box of toys and folding limitless loads of laundry.

A quick search of "minimalists" online will bring up some extreme examples. Those who limit themselves to 100 items, people who insist on fitting everything into a certain number of containers, some even insist on cataloging and photographing each and every single item they own.

 Whoa. 

Although you can be overcome and obsessed with all that you own, I have come to the realization that you can also become just as obsessed with what you don't have and maintaining a certain quota. I don't think either of these extremes fit me or our family because I simply don't want to focus on what I own one way or another. I just want to be doing the things that will matter for eternity, like reading outside to my kids or snuggling with hubby and coffee, as compared to washing a ton of dishes while my kids play or doing the umpteenth load of laundry while my husband is sitting in the other room.

I'm tired of:

... fighting with the kids about keeping their room clean

... putting off creating things for my home so I can clean my home

... an overflowing laudryroom

...an overflowing closet and nothing to wear

... feeling overwhelmed with my responsibility of keeping up with all the cooking, cleaning, organizing, folding dishes, ect...

Ah! There's so much more! But I'm ready to let go and get going with life. It's time to play more and clean less. Create more and organize less. 

It's summer and our family is ready to have fun and come fall, I'l be busy with homeschooling and don't want the pressure of housework constantly looming overhead.

This will be a ongoing journey for me, as I assume minimalism is much more of  journey thing than a destination thing. Especially for me. But, I'm ready to dive in head first and start having less so we are free to do more!

I'll be posting my progress and sharing in my blog what I'm doing so I can keep track of my progress and help sort out what works and what isn't working. Feel free to follow along and offer suggestions! These are some of the things I'll be working on implementing in our home:

+ Less table/ desk space = less clutter. Get rid of things that only gather clutter and don't enhance our home atmosphere.

+ Freezer meal planning / cooking! By shopping in bulk and cooking a bunch of meals at once, I'll be spending less money, cooking less, and washing dishes less! It's a win, win...win. ;)

+ Creating a capsule wardrobe. Instead of so many "so so" clothes, I'll have less clothing but more timeless, classic clothing that works well with a lot of what I own, as compared to so many odd, trendy, or ill fitting pieces. 

+ Less TV! This may not help with actual clutter, but will help clear the mind clutter :)

+ And of course, clean and toss!

So, here we go! Do you have any tips on letting go???

Embracing Change in Your Relationship

Happy New Year everyone! I am really excited about this year! Every year I am excited about the coming year, but this year especially so. The last year, the last two years really, have been continually challenging and changing. In 2013 and 2014 We moved across the country, had our third child, got used to living in a big home in the country compared to a little apartment in town (I spend so much more time cleaning and driving!) We started our first official year homeschooling, slowly we are starting to make friends, and my husband started a new job in which he has now worked in two different positions.

My husband and I have dealt with all these physical, logistical, and emotional changes hand in hand together, but oh so differently! Of course we have dealt with change before this, but when you are first married you kind of begin at the same point, the same starting line. Just like in a board game where everyone starts at start. But as the years go by and more and more changes happens within your life and marriage, you can find you and your spouse on completely different pages.

But, change and growth is inevitable. In fact, it's absolutely essential for us to change and go through different seasons of life to grow and mature, especially if we want to mature in our walk with Christ. But change can be hard and growth uncomfortable! I also have learned more than ever before that you and your husband won't always change and grow at the same time or in the same way. This can be really frustrating and even scary ( you feel like two totally different people!) But  thankfully, growing together isn't always the result of changing together! How you face the changes in your spouse or yourself is more important than the change itself.

 

                                                        Most recent date picture :)

So after going through so much change in the last two years, the last several months I have finally started to feel like we have found our peaceful, comfortable new "normal" in our daily lives  :) There is so much I have learned on how to act... and how not to react when you find your marriage in a state of flux while you and your spouse are changing and rapidly growing. Here are some ways to not just survive the changes and shifts that happen within your marriage and life, but thrive because of them!

1.) Prayer and Praise!

No matter what valley you are passing through, prayer and praise is of outmost importance.... Always! The Bible teaches us that it doesn't matter the circumstance we find ourselves in, the correct response is ALWAYS to praise God. Good day, bad day, normal day, through gritted teeth and a tear stained face day, make a conscious choice to choose joy and praise God, and watch with amazement as He softens your heart and instills joy and peace into your life.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

 

2.) Don't Let External Stress Create Internal War!

Stressful situations and change can bring on fights faster than normal, but don't let external stress create internal war. Talk, discuss, get mad, even fight (fairly, without name calling, yelling or threats)  but refuse to be divided. Fights are going to happen in marriage eventually, but don't let a fight or argument steal your peace and define your view of your marriage or your spouse.

“Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.
Matthew  12:25


3.) Remember, This is Only a Phase!

It can be so easy to get caught up in the here and now and focus on how things feel today. But today is really a blessing and a miracle, because although today can be a refection of yesterday and how things are currently, it is also an opportunity to change the your current day and how things will be tomorrow. For better or worse, our lives are in a constant state of flux. Slowly and steadily changing, the little (or big!) choices we make today will have an impact on the way our life will be tomorrow. When you think back on the last 10 years of your life, I'm sure you can see seasons in your life filled with joy and those memories of that perfect day, but also times of pain or struggle. The season of life you find yourself or your spouse in now is not the season of life that will be next. Even if you have found yourself "stuck" in what seems a long season, it is still just that: a season. Jesus gives us hope for our future!


And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Philippians 1:6


For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jerimiah 29:11


4.) Get up and Get out!

Oh my goodness.... Yes! It is truly amazing what going outside can do for your spirit! Stepping out and doing things outside has enormous mental benefits. I used to live in the bitter cold winters of Wisconsin, with babies, in an apartment in town with little to no yard. Not the ideal place to live to get a daily dose of fresh air, but the days I made a conscious effort to get out always helped. So don't just sit there, get out!  (unless it's today, which just happens to be one of the coldest days of the year, maybe go outside next week! :)

                                                                               Photo credit: unknown, found on Pinterest, "uploaded by user"

5.) Determine to respond with kindness
Whether it's you going through big changes, your spouse going through changes or your relationship in general, change seems to make tempers shorter! No matter what you may going though, lashing out at others is never the way to respond! We are called to love one another, and this is not dependent on how we feel. And on the flip side, if it's your spouse who is going through something, love them as Christ loves you. Give them grace, give them patience, love them like Christ loves you.


Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21


Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
1 John 4:7

 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God
Romans 14:4


6.) Reflection is Good, but Stewing is Bad!
It's been scientifically proven that looking through photographs of past happy memories and times can significantly improve your mood now. This is so true for me! When Im feeling down, going though happy photos from great times always puts me in a better mood. Even better when I actually have some prints made! There is nothing like going to pick up printed photos. Hanging pics, even just on the fridge, is a nice little pick me up. It's cheap too!
But remember to avoid extremes! Reflection on happy times is beneficial, butt sitting around lamenting why things can't "go back to the way they were" helps no one and induces self pity. Don't do that!


Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?" For it is not wise to ask such questions.
Ecclesiastes 7:10


7.) Find new Things
As long as your going through changes elsewhere in your life, why not pick up a new hobby? Or even just a new book or revive a forgotten hobby that you haven't had time for. When we go through changes or periods of stress, it can be easy to be caught up in the whirlwind of making it through each day and adjusting to whatever new change we are adjusting to. Picking up some paint and a canvas or creating a project has enormous therapeutic benefits! Plant a potted plant, grow your own herbs, pick up photography, step into a library, take a walk, knit a scarf, read a book, paint, learn HTML. The possibilities are endless! Starting a new endeavor enlivens our minds and is good for the soul!

Photo credit: http://knittingnoodles.es/?product=croche-hook-30-mm&lang=en

8.)  Spend Time Together
Spend purposeful time with your spouse. I'm not just talking about going on a date together. If you can go on a date, that's great! Go for it! But even more important than a date night is purposeful, meaningful time together. I love date night, but honestly our home dates feel more beneficial to me than "real" date nights. Our home dates are simple but perfect! We put the kiddos to bed early and then enjoy a nice dinner, ALONE! Then take drinks and sit on our front porch together at night and listen to music and just talk. Or not talk. It's just wonderful :) But in the craziness of life, make time for your relationship and make it meaningful time!

Photocredit: http://decorology.blogspot.com/2014/09/a-little-decorating-inspiration.html

Enjoy life with your beloved wife during all the days of your fleeting life that God has given you on earth during all your fleeting days; for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work on earth.
Ecclesiastes 9:9


If you find yourself in the middle of change, hopefully you can find a few helpful ideas or bible verses to carry you through to the next season of your life. I would love to hear what you do when you find yourself in the midst of change! Have a good day all! And remember,

        The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.            

                                                                                                               Ecclesiastes 7:8

 

photo credit: thebottomoftheirironbasket.blogspot.com

The Lord is Close to the Brokenhearted

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those crushed in Spirit.

Psalm 34:18

Isn't wonderful to know that of all the many things God is, close to the brokenhearted is one of them? It doesn't matter why we are brokenhearted, God draws near to us. It might be a seemingly small reason that can set you off; a tough day at home with your children, a day where nothing goes right, unfulfilled expectations or the pangs of loneliness. It doesn't matter how we got to this point, to God, a hurting heart is a heart that needs love, a heart that needs Him.

If today you find yourself brokenhearted or your spirit broken down, run to Him. He won't minimize your pain, expect justification, explanation or a promise to be stronger tomorrow. He just wants to hold you, His dear child.

Let God hold you. Let Him love you. Let Him save you. No strings attached.~

photo credit: pinterest http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/3f/6e/f3/3f6ef38f6d0399480f5d9faaa2658e0a.jpg

Planning a No Spend Week

Planning a No Spend Week or: How to Save Extra Money when You Don't have Extra Money

As a large(ish) family living on one income, I’m always looking for ways to save money and lower our weekly and monthly expenses. Through talking to other woman, reading books, blogs and my own trial and error process, God has blessed us with many different ways to save!
I recently have been using another method to save money, called a no spend week. My no spend week is a chance to save a little money in addition to whatever Daniel brings in. Admittedly, my no spend week savings go towards… “fun” money. 

We often have a little extra left over at the end of each week, and unless there is something we are in need of or some unforeseen bill or expenses, that’s our “extra” or fun money for the weekend. We don’t do much, normally it’s a weekend breakfast out as a family, gas money to take the Jeeps out to the beach or date night money. So although there is that extra amount, I hate spending our family fun weekend money on say, a new rug. Daniel always encourages me to use what we have if I find something I like (he is so generous and giving!) but I know that the kids and us will have more memories from being at the beach for the day, than say me getting on them for stepping on my new rug with muddy shoes! So, my no spend week is a way for me to have a little fund that I can use to buy things for the home or keep hidden away for a rainy day,  it’s a mini savings that won’t take away from the money we put into savings or take away from our weekend fun money budget!

What is a no spend week?:

* A no spend week is where you do just that, don’t spend anything that week! 
Normally each week I carefully budget our $160 to account for all meals for the five of us for the week plus groceries like toilet paper, diapers, pet food, ect. I plan our weekly menu and shop for that week.

* During my “no spend week” I don’t go shopping for anything but some fresh fruit and some milk. That’s it! So for my first week of trying out this method, I saved myself about $140.00! Of course you could take it one step farther and buy nothing, but I get very picky about milk and we eat so much fruit that it would be almost impossible for us not to buy any fruit in a week.

Planning your no spend week:

 Now I say that my first week I saved $140.00 but that took 4-6 weeks of preparation. It‘s a simple plan, you just need to be diligent about keeping stock of what you have and not use the food you are preparing for your week of not buying anything!

I’m sure there are many people who could do this in less time or on a bigger scale, but this plan is specifically for anyone who doesn’t plan on spending anything more than they normally would in a week’s time.

Here is step by step how to plan your no spend week:

Week 1-4

* Buy what’s on sale! This seems obvious, but pay attention to anything that is at a super low price and stock up! If fruit is on sale (and often there is something at it’s peak of ripeness so the price is dramatically cut down.) buy it and freeze! Sale prices on specific items seem to rotate every 4-6 weeks. Our local grocery store has a sale on our favorite bread once a month or so, instead of $1.88 it’s $0.88 that week. So I always buy twice what we need, so I can stash a weeks worth of bread in the freezer for later but I still haven’t spent a penny more than I normally would have.

*  Check out the clearance carts! Lots of small town grocery stores will have a cart or part of an aisle dedicated to clearanced out food. (It’s often just discontinued items or dented cans) this can be a hit or miss, but if you check them every week for 4-6 weeks and stash away at home anything you buy from the clreaenced aisle, you normally have a nice little stash of food for cheap!

*Always divide up your snacks! I keep 2 plastic shoes boxes in my pantry. One at eye level and one larger sized one (with a lid) way on top in back of the pantry where no one can see it! When I buy a box of nutri grain bars, I dump them all into the main shoe box and stash 2 in my secret shoe box. If I buy pop tarts, all but one pack goes in the snack shoe box. When I buy mini pretzels or animal crackers, ect. I divide the bag up into a bunch of sandwich size ziplock bags and always stash a bag away. At the end of the month for my so spend week, I always have plenty of filler snacks on hand!

*Freezer meals! This is one of the biggest ways to save money! In order to have enough dinners for your no spend week, you have to squeeze out about 1 to 2 extra dinners a week from your normal budget (without spending extra) . This can be done fairly easy as long as you are willing to get a bit creative! For example, If I’m making meatballs, I add a little oatmeal and some cooked rice to the recipe. Because of that I can then add in extra tomato paste, egg and anything else the recipe calls for. So one pound of ground meat can quickly turn into 2 pounds worth of meatballs. (and they taste just as delicious, I promise!) IN fact, I almost never cook ground beef by itself anymore. By adding finely shredded carrots and onions, you can gain about an additional half pound of “meat” from one pound of ground beef, plus your sneaking in carrots! When I do that, I divived the meat portion for whatever Im making in half and freeze the rest of the meat for tacos.

French bread pizzas are another good cheap and yummy freezer meal. You can normally pick up French bread for cheap on the bakery sale rack. (once again, not spending anything extra) Then just slice the bread lengthways, top with sauce cheese and whatever toppings you have and bake half and freeze the other half for later!

So that’s how you squeeze out extra dinners, just 1-2 a week and before you know it you have a stash quickly built up!

* I also do this with breakfast! Make extra pancakes, freeze half, make extra French toast, freeze half. Using the extra ingredients doesn’t take away enough from our pantry to send me to the store for anything more, but that is at least 2 breakfasts worth sitting in the freezer.

Week 3

By the last 2 weeks of prep, I start to take stock of what I have in my pantry and what I have already saved specifically for my no spend week. I build a menu based off of that then make a list of what meals or snacks I’ll still need. I don’t need much and can easily squeeze what I need out of the budget for the next 2 weeks.

Week 4

Make hay while the sun shines! Basically, if you’re like us, there are always some weeks you have more money than others. The weeks that hubby got a little overtime or less bills were due that week, that’s when I take the few extra dollars and buy an extra thing of toilet paper or an extra package of diapers and stash away for later. With all this meal planning don’t forget other household necessities!

Week 5

On the last week I make sure we have the bulk of the freshest food, like extra fresh vegetables and lots of eggs. We eat eggs often, (scrambled eggs, deviled eggs, hard boiled, in cooking…) so I’ll buy a pack of 5 dozen this week (around $9.00) and that will be more than enough for this week’s menu and next week.

Week 6

Bask in all of your hard work and money saved! Since my menu is already planned out, I don’t even need to do that this week, yet alone grocery shopping! Like I said, I do keep a little grocery money on hand ($20.00 more or less) but the rest is there to do what we want! Not only that, but I didn’t realize what a break it would give me the rest of the week as well. Other than sometimes whipping up a side dish, I really didn’t cook all week! I would pull a dinner out of the freezer the night before and stick it in the fridge, then throw it in the oven right before dinner. No prep, no cooking, no dishes yet we still had a good home cooked meal each night.
Breakfast was just as easy! The weekend was pretty much breakfast casserole or quiche and during the week if we wanted French toast, I just would use the toaster to dethaw and heat it up!

As long as you are willing to put in a little extra effort with meal planning and have some patience, you can easily save $150 or more depending on your weekly grocery budget. This has really helped me save some money, what are some of your favorite sneaky ways to save money?

Before & After Entry

I have so many posts rolling around in my head! As usual though, things are always busy and finding time to sit down and write posts for my blog usually take a back seat to other things. like, Pinning on Pinterest, I'm sorry to say :) But here we go with the first of many posts on..... how home renovations have been going! (and by renovation, mean lots of paint :) But seeing my friend (and cousin... in law! ) share all of her inspiring home projects have inspired me to share and come up with my own!

The first project to share.....

The Entryway!

I forget how old this house is (we rent) but I can tell you, many, MANY renovations were done in the 1970 and 1980s! And I don't mean the cool, vintage vibe of the 1970s. More like dark gloomy colors and lots of stained, peeling wallpaper.

Before:

Now, cost is a big factor in the changes to our home. We only plan on being here a short while. So in addition to saving for our dream home (That, God willing, will be a nice piece of Texas land to put a pond in and have a cow :) We don't want to get "to comfortable" renting and seeing this as home. But, after living in an apartment for 5 years and never doing much to that, we really want to make our home really feel like "Our home" and reflect us.

I'll be share some of the deatils about the decor, but this is how our entryway currently looks:

After:

So much more lighter, refreshing, and airy! I still have many things I want to do, like paint the trim and get a mirror and some larger pictures. But right now, I'm really just liking the airy and more "us" feel of everything. :) 

A Day in Our Home and Some Recipes!

So tonight I have been unable, or just  unwilling to go to sleep. Although it's been a long crazy day and I'm exhausted and my feet hurt, I just lay in bed not wanting to sleep. It's not even that my mind is racing, I feel perfectly peaceful, calm and collected. But that's just it... the calmness! The Peace! The still gentle quietness. I know once I close my eyes it will all slip away the moment I fall asleep. And although my sleep will most likely be a restful one, it still seems like I sleep for a moment and all of the sudden the alarm goes off and another whirl wind of a day starts! 

Today was pretty "average" in all the wonderfulness and tragedy that comes with staying home with young children. So in case you were wondering, this is what a average weekday looks like at our house....

5:00 Wake up! Hubby gets ready for work while I make coffee and prepare his lunch. We get to talk and snuggle just a few minutes before he is out the door! I also let out the dogs and feed that kittens and dogs.

5:45 Shower, get geared up for the day, make our bed. Drink coffee! Eat some peanut butter.

6:15 Spend some time with God praying, giving thanks and reading His word. This is so very necessary for me! This quite time in the mornings with my bible and coffee is what keeps me grounded for the day and is the well in which I draw hope and patience for later on!

You know those woman are so patient and slow to wrath? Come to find out, that's not me....  But God picks up where I let off!

                                             source:http://www.pinterest.com/pin/558376053771863775/

7:00  Quick check on emails, blogs, facebook, and Pinterest!

7:30 First girl wakes up! The second girl isn't far behind! (One always seems to need a little more sleep than the other. :) We all lay around a little and usually watch Micky Mouse Clubhouse on the couch together.

8:00 I make pancakes! I make all that we need for today plus what's left in the rest of the box. That way I can freeze the rest for a day when we are short on time!

8:30 Caleb is up! He was up a bit ago but seemed content so I let him be so I could finish making breakfast. Once I go to get him though, I find out he has peed through EVERYTHING! 

8:45 The baby is clean and the bedding is all tossed in the laundry room. I make the girls pancakes and hold Caleb while he drinks some milk. (although he is weaned, he still like to sit on me most mornings cuddled up and drink his milk.) The girls finish their plates, I get them seconds and make Caleb up his plate of pancakes.

9:15 Clean breakfast up, Go hang up laundry on the clothes line, start a new load of laundry. We all spend time together in the living room playing/ I write out my goals for the day. We all eat a snack of fresh blueberries! 

10:15 Suntan and bug spray on! We all go outside to play before it get's too hot out. We fill the girl's pool up so they can play in it later. We play with the hose and chase each other around the yard. Caleb finds handfuls of mud and proudly brings them to me :) The Girls dance in the water :)

11:00 Inside, dry off, Caleb gets changed and put down for a nap.

- The girls and I clean the living room top to bottom. We pick up and put things away. They take turns dusting and washing the windows. 

- The girls pick up the mess in the hallway/ foyer area. I sweep

- I tidy up the bathroom and sweep. Girls feed the pets and clean the litter box (Diana loves that job 0_o )

- Go outside to take the laundry of the line, fold it, hang up a new load and start another load of laundry!

12:00 Eat lunch! Mostly fresh fruit and sandwiches for the girls.

12:45 Do a little school! (Very, very laid back school. But learning none the less! :) 

- Practice letters and sounds

- Practice writing out letters

- Do a few pages from pre K and Kindergarten workbooks.

Us girls just talk, write in our notebooks and play.

1:30 More suntan lotion! (Brutal South Texas sun!) 

I bring fitness and cooking magazines along with my pen and notebook. The girls swim and play in their pool while I plan my freezer cooking.

I bought extra food last week so I can cook a bunch of extra dinners for convenience and in anticipation of my no spend week. (More to come on that later!) 

With 9 pounds of chicken breasts and a pound of ground beef I plan my dinners:

- 2 9x13 pans of lasagna roll ups

 source:http://thrivinghomeblog.com/2011/03/meatless-monday-spinach-lasagna-roll-ups/

- 2 9x13 pans of wild rice and chicken with slivered almonds

source:http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/wild-rice-chicken-dinner

- 2 9x13 pans chicken, green beans and potatoes

Source:http://www.pinterest.com/pin/178736678932660096/

- 1 gallon bag of chicken breasts, onions and vegetables for the crock pot

- 1 gallon bag of lightly breaded rosemary and Parmesan chicken strips.

(This source has a fancy recipe, I'm just using a packet from kraft :)

Since I pulled out all the meat earlier in the day and everything is just about de thawed, surely I can whip up most of those meals in an hour or so after coming inside... right? :) 

I almost call my mom and sisters, but instead spend time talking to the girls while writing out my list :)

2:15 Come inside. dry off! have a snack. I hear Caleb up but wait to get him until the girls go down.

2:30 The girls get tucked into bed for quite time and spend some down time cuddling with their kittens.

 I get Caleb after putting them down. Diaper change then lunch for the little man! 

After getting cleaned up I spread toys on the floor and we play with cars then I scoop him up and cuddle and play and swing him into the air and be silly!

I can't but help think of the dishes and my dinners. But remind myself that the reason I stay at home with my kids isn't to have a perfectly clean home and a bunch of things accomplished (though being at home instead of working helps me get more done around here! ) The reason I stay at home is to lavish much love on all my children! The rest will always be there.

3:15 The girls get up. All the kids eat a snack. They play and hang out while I divide my attention between playing/checking on them and cleaning the kitchen and dining room and do all the dishes.

 

The dishes, they smile at me!

4:00 PBS Wild Kratts starts ( Two 30 minute animal shows, the kids love it!) They watch tv while I start browning the hamburger meat, slicing the chicken breasts up and cook a few batches of lasagna noodles. (I need a bigger pot!)

I prepare the filling and lay out the pans for the lasagna dinner. The kid's show is almost done so I have the girls help me! I knew it would be messy and take longer, but decided to go for it anyway.

I brought Caleb's play pen into the kitchen and set up 2 little "stations" so each girl could help with one pan and I stood in the middle to help them.

Oh My.....

I knew this would be messy, but the mess far exceeds even what I anticipated! The girls have food everywhere, they are starting to fight and Caleb's fussing has turned into crying. The dogs are chasing the cats and fighting over all the food on the floor and totally under foot.

5:45 Dinner finally ends up in the oven and I freeze the other pan. The kids get cleaned up I give them a snack because I know dinner is going to be late and then clean up the mess in the kitchen. (Most of it, anyway)

(Random things that often happen when I go to the bathroom)

6:00 Hubby is home! Kids get crazy we try to talk over them and then dinner is done!

6:30 Dinner time!

7:00 We finish dinner, Daniel chases the kids around the living room while I sit and watch them all and laugh. Daniel and I literally sit and talk for 10 minutes before the kids start to meltdown. He turns on the tv, they all chill. I start the bathwater for all the kids to take a bath and gather dry diapers and pajamas. By this time the kids are calm and hubby has fallen asleep on the couch. (He worked almost 12 hours outside in the 100* heat! Poor man :( )

source:http://www.pinterest.com/pin/270286415109548171/

7:30 Bath time (Crazy time!)

8:00 Kids are all out of the bath, dried and ready for bed. Hubby is still lightly sleeping so I go ahead and tuck the kids in. I put Caleb down and give him some milk and sing him a song and then go to the girls room, tuck them in and pray with them. Diana's prayer is that she is so thankful we got to do school and Ellie was so happy we got to play outside :)

I put away away dinner and prepare Daniel's lunch for the next day. I take care of the dogs and change into comfy pajamas myself. I check my emails and hubby wakes up!

8:45 Although still somewhat early, we are both exhausted and decide to get ready for bed. By the time we actually finish showers, talking, laying out clothes for the next day get something to drink ect... it's 9:15 when we actually go to bed.

9:20 The hubs is already asleep and I'm laying in the peace and quite. I can hear the bull frogs outside and the moon light is shining bright and streaming through the window into our room. So peaceful! I feel as if I could lay here and enjoy the quietness all night. But 2 minutes in and I'm already feeling myself fall asleep. Except, I'm really not. I have gotten out of bed and have been on line for 2 hours! So before much more time passes, good night all!

                                     source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/384846730627826191/

*Next Day Edit*

Note to self: When you're exhausted, go stinkin to bed! There is a reason why God lets us feel peaceful and tired at night, it's so we can go to bed and get some sleep and not be dead tired and grumpy the next day! :)

The Houston Ballet: Swan Lake

This past Saturday Daniel's brother Josh, hubby and I went to the Houston Ballet's performance of Swan Lake. Oh. My. Goodness. It was completely breathtaking! I have been to 8-9 professional ballet performances between The Milwaukee Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet (Chicago) and the Houston Ballet. Houston'a Swan Lake was by far my favorite! The opportunity to go came at just the right time too.

Lately I have been feeling a little, homesick? I guess that's the word? That isn't completely right, because Texas is home and I'm not totally distraught like I have been in the past missing my family, friends, and all things familiar. But I have been missing everyone/everything none the less. So when Josh randomly asked if we wanted to join him at the ballet that weekend, we said yes! It was the perfect sort of thing to get out of a kind of gloomy mood and have something fun for the weekend planned. Houston is still a very "new" city to me, so I love when an opportunity arises to go do something fun in Houston!

Also, I  was finally able to wear my headband of strands of twisted crystal rhinestones that I bought and haven't been able to wear yet. I wish I had a better picture! But, believe it or not I hardly took any pictures! We had so much fun talking in the car and jamming out to music that I did't have time to worry about my camera! That, and you can only take so many selfies when other people are around ;)

The ballet was at the Wortham Center, which is just the most beautiful and perfect place to watch a performance. It's in the heart of downtown, and with it being an evening performance, the downtown city lights just seemed to make everything dazzle. 

Photo credit: iaahouston.com

Photo credit: downtownhouston.com

I always get so, so excited for, well, things in general. :) But when I'm eagerly watching the clock as each minute passes and I'm waiting for something to start... well I can hardly stand it! You could tell everyone was excited! I mean, most people. I was excited for the actual ballet, Josh was excited to hear a full, uncut score of Tchaikovsky, and Daniel, well he was excited because he loves to make me happy and spend time with his little brother. :) 

It seemed like forever as we eagerly waited in our seats (which, by the way were the very highest and farthest back you could get, and still $50.00 each!) 

As soon as the curtain raised and the music started, Oddette came gliding in on a boat surrounded by mist. The whole stage was flooded with with deep blue and green lights and there were beautiful, eery trees all around. The music just soared from the orchastra and I settled back into my seat. I could just tell this was going to be stunning!

Photo credit: http://www.pinterest.com/houstonballet/swan-lake/

For a good synopsis of Swan Lake, fee free to go here ----> Swan Lake 

But in short:

Swan Lake is about a beautiful maiden named Oddette who gets turned into a swan by an evil night named Rothbert. She is a swan by day and a maiden by night.

After a successful day of hunting, the prince, Seigfreid is reminded by his mother the Queen that this is the last day of his youth. He will need to choose a wife at the ball tomorrow and take on the responsibility of adulthood. He is introduced to four beautiful princesses, none that he falls in love with. He runs deep into the woods alone that night.

 Deep in the forest that evening along the edge of the lake, Siegfried sees a young maiden.  She is beautiful, and he falls instantly in love.  However, she is terrified, and begs him to leave, to no avail.  Charmed by his bravery, Odette finds herself falling in love with him.  As the sun begins to rise, the evil knight Rothbart summons Odette.  She goes to him and is transformed into a swan and flies away.  Soon thereafter, a large flock of swans lands on the lake.  Siegfried’s friend and some hunters from the royal party see the flock and prepare to shoot, but the Prince intervenes and orders them to leave.  Siegfried notices that one of the swans is Odette and he professes his love to her.

The next night the Queen once again hosts a ball and this time, the evil knight Rothbert arrives, with Odile. Who is the Black swan and mirror image of Odette. Prince Seigfreid is tricked into thinking the dark swan is Odette, professes his love to her only to realize he was fooled and runs after Odette, who was at the ball and he begs for forgiveness. 

The sun is starting to rise and the maidens turn back into swans. Odette is swept back up into the sky along with Rothbert and the black swans. Prince Seigfried, desperate to be with his love, grabs his cross bow to shoot Rothbert. He misses and instead hits Odette. She falls into Prince Seigfreid's arms as a maiden, the curse broken. She dies in his arms. Seigfreid picks her up, holds her close and walks into the lake, drowning himself .

So yeah, not the happiest of stories. But, wow, it sure does make for a dramatic and beautiful ballet! 

It really was hauntingly beautiful. The dancers acted just as much as they danced, you were just drawn into the story as they danced and swirled across the stage. 

Photo Credit:http://www.pinterest.com/houstonballet/swan-lake/

All the costumes seemed like they walked right out of the page of a story book! The colors were fantastic and everything has just the right bit of whimsy.

Photo credit:http://www.pinterest.com/houstonballet/swan-lake/

The skill of the dancers was just amazing! It's one thing to be able to do an amazing and technically difficult move here or there, but each dance was just one amazing feat after another. Swan Lake is actually considered the most technically difficult ballet ever written and choreographed! 

Odette and her prince danced a very convincing couple! The love and tenderness in which they showed on stage made every beautiful, gliding movement so romantic!

photo Credit: unknown google image search

Photo credit: http://www.pinterest.com/houstonballet/swan-lake/

It was just a beautiful, beautiful story told through dance and some of Tchaikovsky's best work! It was also very long. Often they will cut down the music for swan lake, but this time they kept the whole original score. The ballet was 3 hours long (with 2 short intermissions) and I just loved it!

Since we went to the later showing at 7:30, we didn't even get out to the car until after 11:00pm We were also starving as we made our way back home. Of course not much was open, and despite being midnight, iHop was packed. So we settled for a classy dinner at Taco Bell :)

This last weekend was just so fun! I really do love this city and state and can't wait until the next time we get to see another ballet!