So far in January

Since we moved to Georgia, I've had my diffuser on my bedside table.  As a result my essential oils have found their way to my bedside table too.  I love the purple glow!  It is pleasant and gives a bit of a nightlight when we need to get up throughout the night to use the bathroom or when my husband goes to work before sunrise.  

My husband bought me these wonderful knitting needles and wool for Christmas. 🙌😍 

Getting them trained to go to their own bowls at their own designated spot.

If you had asked me 4 years ago if we could see ourselves with more animals, I would have said we were happy with our 2.  Well, now, we've not only added 2 more dogs, but a cat named Pickles, too!  LOL

Ginger is 7 months old!  She loves to play, snuggle, and chase the cat.  We plan to breed her with another golden retriever in the next year and selling the puppies.  We're getting more experience (for the kids) with being entrepreneurs, and this is a good way to not only love on our dogs, but learn about having puppies to love on and care for, as well as the book work and financial aspect of business.

The progress on my new Bible bag.  It is made from 100% wool that will be felted soon.  I'm getting to a point where I'll be adding details.  I just have to decide how to do the handle and flap.  😉

Playtime!  

We are enjoying the temperatures here in Georgia this winter.  We jokingly say, "Well, we had our 3 days of winter, now it's time to have Spring."  Today it is 69⁰.

[This part of my post was written on January 21st.] We're expecting some storms today and there is a tornado watch for our area.  The last time we had tornadoes go through was on January 2nd when we had 9 documented tornadic events that left EF1 & EF2 damage behind in a variety of places through 4+ counties.  Your prayers for recovery would be greatly appreciated.  There has already been over 10,000 hours of volunteer time documented which probably only touched 10% of the damage.  Samaritans Purse has headed up the recovery effort as well as Franklin Graham.  Georgia Emergency Management Agency has been involved and the spokesmen from Albany, GA city petitioning FEMA without any response.

Today, January 25th, there were deadly tornadoes that hit Southwest Georgia with many counties, including our county, included in Governor Nathan Deal's state of emergency.  While we have not been hit with any of the tornadoes, I feel so trite saying "My heart goes out to all those who have lost everything in these storms."  But, it goes much beyond that.  I put myself in their shoes and my heart gets ripped out with every picture I see.  There is a plantation north of us by about 4-5 miles that was obliterated by the storm.  I see pictures and there is a sick feeling in my stomach that my spirit cries out and weeps for these people.  They've lost everything.  I'm trying to be proactive and help as best I can by sending my kids to help, donating water and food, praying, and helping to set up a facebook group to pull all the local information together for everyone to see that is all in one place.  It's the least I can do to help keep information in one place.  I've found that with Turner County being so rural, there needed to be more communication.

Please pray for Southwest Georgia.  There are many needs.  Many people are hurting.  Many people have lost loved ones, some are still missing.  Albany has been inundated with volunteers and many have been turned away because they're not plugged in with the right places.  If you come to Albany to volunteer, please go to the Coke Plant at 925 Pine Avenue.  Samaritain's Purse is here.  They do a training for people at 7:30AM and 12:30PM.  They go out, help people get trees off their roof, tarp roofs, remove trees from the property, praying with the owners, giving them Bibles signed by each working on site that visited them, and leaving a cross carved with a chainsaw in one of the mangled trees when they cut it down.

God is good!  So many stories of how many have been spared, many with some unbelievable ways the trees fell in a circle around their house, but the house wasn't harmed.  Then there are so many who lost their homes and are living with loved ones or in shelters.  There are many Sunday School classes who are adopting families to bless them with the things they need to start all over again because they've lost everything.  Our Sunday School class has a family we're helping in this way, but also another gentleman needed his yard cleared so the utility companies could get in to fix his heater/AC as well as his water and electric.  While my hubby and I couldn't be there, our class did this!  I'm so proud to be a part of such a loving and wonderful community of believers who are saints, each one!  They're such a blessing!

"After" clean-up.

"Before"

Although it is February 6th, January's memory will linger for a long time for many folks around here.  We had some unreal winds, a 71 mile long path of destruction from a tornado and the folks here are banding together.  Many folks are giving donations through Samaritains Purse, Red Cross, and etc, many folks have physically brought their donations to sites to give physical needs.  

What a blessing!  We still have a long way to go.  The devistation is gut wrenching.  Many people just up the road from us a couple miles have lost so much.  There were houses that were rolled over on to their roofs in the tornado.  I've never seen that before.  It was a gut wrenching time of emotional turmoil for those folks.  I've sent my kids many times to help in many venues, donated stuff, and set up a facebook page for folks to share information for our county.  My heart just weeps for folks.

Never under estimate the power of God!  He is above all, in all, through all and in every way you could possibly imagine.  Yes, He allowed this to happen, but He is raising up His people to come help and the blessings from being able to help in every possible way, coming together, and loving on our neighbors is also part of His will.  

Please continue to pray for Southern Georgia as everyone recovers and finds a new "normal" in their lives.

Have a Blessed Day! 💗

Goals for My Future Pantry

Many goals for this time of my life revolve around my own physical health.  I have renewed my vigor, if you will, for working on a healthier lifestyle, being more active, and eating more close to the source for maximum nutrient value.



In accomplishing these goals, I have begun again to take Glucosamine Condroitin(GC) for my joints, mainly my knees so that when I walk regularly I don't have as much pain with the lesser portion of tissue in my right knee to help with cushioning.  As a strange (to me) and interesting twist, my left knee is now giving me some problems due to favoring my right knee for so long.  So, hopefully the GC will help with that too.

I have finalized my garden plan for the front yard, due to necessity, and beautification as well.

I will certainly document the process for everyone to see.  😎

All this while keeping the house and everything else juggled!  I would love to do all kinds of vegetables and melons because I just love all the jars in my pantry.  There isn't a greater satisfaction than being able to go to one's pantry and gather foods that one has processed in a healthier way, using salts that are good for high blood pressure. Fortunately here in GA, there are at least 2 different time frames where we can grow food.  I'm so thankful!!! 

I miss my pantry! 😉

 Have a Blessed Day!

Self Made Clothing

I have always enjoyed making my own clothes.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do it much in recent years due to appointments, teaching classes and just generally being busy.

What I loved most was finding my patterns as cheaply as possible, then finding the fabric I need and buying it in bulk, making whatever garment as inexpensively as possible.

However, that is not possible in every case.  I have purchased a pattern at full price, paid full price for fabric and made a prom dress for my daughter and it turned out beautifully.  Fabric is not cheap, neither are patterns.  So finding what will work or look nice is a challenge sometimes.  I like buying "lots" of patterns in my size or my daughter's size on ebay. It is usually very cheap to buy 10 patterns for $4.95 to get that "one" pattern that would normally cost $15.  Yes, I've done that before!  😄

I've made my daughter a robe from polar fleece that I found at a yard sale one year.  She was very warm and cozy and loved the robe.

As for everything else, fabric is becoming very scant at yard sales and thrift stores.  You have to look at sales, coupons, and work hard at getting it inexpensively.

Another method of making one's own clothing is by either crocheting or knitting.  Currently, I am getting some shirt patterns together to knit in the next couple of months.  I want to have a more modest cut of clothing, but comfortable and "flowy" if that is a word.  I've found some free patterns on Ravelry that I'm going to try and I just need to get my yarn together and get started.  I have some summer shirts to both sew as well as knit and/or crochet, then I'll review and decide where to go from there.  In the mean time while I wait to get my yarn gathered, I'm starting another shawl started as a gift.

Hand crafting items has become a thing of the past.  I am trying to keep the craft alive by teaching the next generation these basic skills at one of our homeschool groups.  I would love to continue long past the time when my children graduate, but we'll see.  I'm getting ahead of myself.  Needless to say, I have quite a few skirts, shirts and shawls to make this year.  We'll see how many I can accomplish by Christmas 2017.  I know what you're thinking...and of course I'll post pictures!  😊

And with that I will bid all of you adieu for 2016.  My next post will be in 2017, so I'll "see" all of you next year!  LOL

Have a Blessed Day!

In Christ,

Frugality with Clothing

Clothing needs for a family of various sizes can be one of the most frustrating chores to tend to for a variety of reasons.  We have had bins and bins full of clothes we've found at yard sales for children to grow in to, or ones that children have grown out of and saving them for the next child.

The challenge is very real to try to stretch every penny to cloth a growing family.  I love the challenge though.

I began every March in Pennsylvania, taking stock of every piece of clothing the children had.  With this inventory, I documented every pair of blue, black, tan jeans or pants, every detail that I could think of to ensure I knew everything my kids had in their dressers and closets.  I took that information and built a list of things to begin looking at yard sales, thrift stores, facebook flea markets, ebay, and every clearance rack I could find.  

I had to streamline their wardrobes when they were little, so I tried being very basic with one pair of tan, black, and blue dress pants, a couple long sleeved and a couple short sleeved dress shirts for church and special occasions.  I tried keeping an eye out for things I knew they would like, but being realistic.  

I worked very hard to find everything I could for them at yard sales first.  Yard sales were the best source for things I could find for $.50 or barter for a large purchase, grouping things together.  I loved being able to find things for my family very inexpensively.  

Once yard sale season was over, I took stock in how much I was able to fill with yard sales.  Once I saw how much, or how little, I was able to visit a variety of thrift stores getting things on their sale days.  I made sure to look for good quality clothing, always, and it always helped to look for name brands like Liz Claiborne, Old Navy, Lee, and etc.  I loved going to huge thrift stores and finding deals.

Next I'd always keep an eye out for my kids' sizes on the facebook fleamarket sites.  Sometimes I could get some good items, other times I just kept scrolling due to the unrealistic cost.  

Ebay was among the last points only because of the cost of shipping.  I've liked ebay because you can look for specific measurements for clothes to ensure a better fit.  Many times I've found jeans, shirts, things like that for less than half of what they originally cost brand new.

Which leads me to the last point--new.  Buying something new is so totally foreign to me.  We have always tried stretching so much for so long that it seems unnatural to buy something "new" off the rack.

Fortunately, when we followed this plan, we were able to drastically reduce our clothing budget.  

How do you make time for this type of work?  A little at a time!  One day for the inventory while you do that particular child's laundry, then move on to the next one.  It is more like a conveyor belt type of action once things get moving.  Once the inventory is done, you are done with it for a whole year.  Once you get your list done, you can simply just move on to your list.  I've tried pulling everything together in an Excel document spreadsheet so that I can see things much more clearly.  

I hope this helps someone!

Is there anything I've forgotten or not looked at?  Probably!  I hadn't even mentioned the bags and bags of clothes we were blessed with from friends. 😊

Have a blessed day!

God Bless,

Frugality in Caring for Ourselves and Our Family

Frugality is all encompassing in our lives.  Some people, for whatever reason, go to a variety of lengths for the sake of saving money.  I appreciate, even admire, those who live on such small amounts of money, stretching every last penny.

To begin, we need to address our medical needs.  I am one who believes very firmly that to take care of ourselves involves eating nutritiously, exercising within a reasonable amount (not becoming obsessive), getting enough sleep, and as the need arises, visiting the doctor, whichever one is necessary.

Eating nutritiously involves something different to each person.  Due to our uniqueness, each of our nutrition needs are different.  For example, a man who is 25 years old, 200 pounds, and works construction will have different nutrition needs than a 25 year old man, 200 pounds, and works behind a desk.  Our lifestyles need to take in to account how much exercise we get as well as our nutrition levels, how much we consume in carbohydrates vs not.

Eating nutritiously will also keep our bodies working at optimal levels, as does exercise.  I personally use hand weights, stretches, twists, leg lifts, walking, swimming and sometimes it feels like it isn't enough.  I'm considering adding in Christian Yoga as well as the T-tapp program.  These are programs for myself.  It wouldn't be "ok" for someone else, though.  I'm trying to look around to find these programs less expensively than "new."  I'm waiting patiently to find them.  That's a big part of this process of frugality--patience.

Getting enough rest is always a challenge, especially in today's busy society.  Everyone's body is unique and the needs of each person extremely vast, so to put everyone in to a cookie cutter of expectation is unrealistic.  As a parent it is our responsibility to make sure our children get the rest their little bodies need.  Also as a parent, it is important for us to care for our own needs for rest as well.  Sleep for moms of little ones who wake through the night is fleeting.  It is important for new moms to sleep when little ones sleep-round the clock to recover well from giving birth.  It is unrealistic, though, to expect toddlers and school age children to sleep as much as a newborn, so if mom has more children, it gets tricky juggling sleep.  I have put the older ones down for their naps, snuggled baby to nurse and fallen asleep with baby safely in my arms.  I've also put kid shows on, snuggled a little one, and fallen asleep for a 20  minute "catnap" without having an issue.  It is something to discover what would work well for your own family.  If a new mom doesn't get enough rest, she will develop Post Partum Depression.  I've been there before and it is a very scary place to be when the walls start closing in on you.  When that happens, it is important to tell someone to get some help.  In our society, it is a sign of weakness if we ask for help, but in my opinion, it is a sign of great strength to ask for help.

At the different stages of life there are greater needs for rest and less needs for rest.  We need to recognize those needs and adjust accordingly.  We need to communicate with our family of that need and ask for their help when we need to just go take an hour nap to feel re-energized to take on the rest of the evening fulfilling our responsibilities.

In order for our mind to work well, we need to eat, we need to sleep, and we need oxygen in the form of exercise.  In order to think about all that we need to accomplish, think clearly, and work on the variety of levels of frugality that our own personal family situation dictates, requires that we care for our bodies in an optimal manner at every stage of life.  Take care of yourself so you can take care of others!

Have a Blessed Day!

Contemplating Future Home Plans

In my previous post, I wrote about plans for my vegetable gardens in raised beds and how I envision it coming together.   We have some "need to do" projects for our house that will be tackled some time this Spring, Lord willing.  Between putting a new roof and new windows in, that also incorporates a new door and windows for the Sunroom.

The area here will be framed out, replaced with French doors in the middle and a window on each end where the stationary panels are.  To the extreme right, there are 4 panels that will be replaced in the same way--framed out and 4 windows installed.

When looking for houses here in GA to purchase, we decided to look for foreclosures or houses that "need work" so that we could get one for the lowest price possible, paying it off early and doing the majority of the work for ourselves. Our ultimate goal was to become "debt free" as quickly as possible.

Why?  That will be a good topic for another post.  😉

Regardless, making plans to fix things takes time, effort, and money.  Fixing things the least expensive way possible (like a broken dishwasher) is what we've done for years.  If my husband cannot tear it apart, go get the pieces needed, and get it running again in a few hours, then there is truly something wrong with the item.  We have purchased older lawn mower/tractors with attachments for less than a fraction of what it would cost new.  With that, though, there is always something that breaks or wears out.  We replaced so many things on that mower, but it worked for us.  My husband sold that mower when we moved to GA.

We have felt that it is so very important to have goals when our over arching theme is frugality.  There are definitely some "need to do" things that frugality may need to be put by the wayside for quality, but in those cases it is very few times that happens.  However, planning, goal setting, working on those things little by little, ensuring safety of everyone in the home, and being good stewards is what we strive for in our lives.

The choice to live more frugally is simply that--a choice.  Please remember there are all kinds of levels of frugal choices out there.  For many it is a matter of taste or product preference.

We frequent yard sales, flea markets, thrift stores, auctions, ebay, facebook flea market groups, and craigslist for a lot of our needs.  When we need to buy something new, we wait until the money is available.  We need to "put off" the "I need it now" mentality relying on credit at every turn because eventually that credit will be used up and there will be no money to pay for emergencies.  This takes personal discipline.  Yes, things happen and you need to dip in to the emergency fund.  That's when you tighten the belt, stop going out for expensive meals, and get the emergency fund back to the level it needs to be.  (I'm saying this to myself just as much as to my readers.  If I don't follow my own advice I'm a hypocrite and I don't want to do that.)

When making plans, we look around and make lists of things we need.  Right now we need some office furniture, some other pieces that I'd like to have for plants, a hall table for a lamp to sit, some clothing items, any craft items dealing with knitting or crocheting, clothing needs and anything else we can think of--all gets put on a list.  I don't bring the list with me when I go to all the above places, but I keep things in mind when I am looking.  I use to make an inventory of everyone's clothing with color, size, type and what I need to look for to get that person to the next size.  That began seasons ahead of when they needed those items.  I had bins in the attic with the next couple of sizes up for each child.  When the oldest son grew out of something it went in to the bin for the youngest.  That was then, now the oldest tries passing off his old clothes to the youngest and he gets laughed at because the youngest has tastes of his own as well as his own size.  LOL

Frugality with making home plans is all encompassing, reaching in to every part of our lives.  We need to be frugal in this area in order to be sure we have resources in this other area to fix it properly or to fill a need that could be filled inexpensively.

One of those things each of us have to personally decide for ourselves is "how far are we willing to take this frugality thing?"  For me, I've tried every kind of paper towels on the market, but I always come back to Bounty.  This is my own personal preference, so I try to find it the cheapest way I can, buy it in bulk or with coupons and don't worry about the money I "could be" saving.  We've purchased generic items and things from Aldi just to try it before buying more than one of that item.  We've found that it's about an 85/15% split with regard to Aldi items.  We usually like just about everything we try from there, but occasionally we find something that just doesn't taste good to us.  Once again, it is purely personal preference, so trying new products that are cheaper than what we've bought in times past has become commonplace for us.

All this to say that in order to be able to afford making changes or fixing things that are broken, we have been frugal in many areas, pushing the envelope in many ways to creatively free up more money.  One of the places I began looking for ideas for greater frugality was The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn.  This book encompasses 3 of her other books that just compilations of her newsletters.  I know many of the ideas in there do not include many couponing ideas, blogging for money, affiliate links, ibotta, or any other new ideas that have come out since the book was published, so keep your eyes peeled for technological advances in saving more money since this book was published.

I realize I may have been preaching to the choir with some of my readers, but I'm finding there is another generation of younger folks who have not heard or understand these concepts.  I'm finding myself in an interesting position that I've never been in before now--one that teaches and guides others in the neat things I've learned.  I'm not the end all for information, of course, but sharing information may help someone who stumbles across my blog.

How are you planning for your future home fixes?

Have a Blessed Day!

Learning, Planning, and Growing

"Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established." 

(Pro 16:3)

My clematis on the trellis in Pennsylvania with vinca vines trailing on the ground behind.

I love my flowers, but living in Georgia and observing how my potted plants have done this past year (including forgetting to water) has given me cause to rethink and plan how I'll be able to have my lovely flowers year around and enjoy them.

As I think and plan, I pray about how to do things.  I have subscribed to a F*cebook page called Georgia Gardener and I've been pouring over ideas and gleaning wisdom to implement with my raised beds for our vegetables as well as for my flowers that I love.  I knew to a certain extent that things would be different here in Georgia than in Pennsylvania.  While the growing season is much longer, there is the heat in the summer to think about and try to overcome.  I've seen some people shading their plants in a variety of ways from burlap sacks propped up over the top of 5 gallon buckets, to simply having raised beds in a more shaded area of the yard.  As I plan and think on these things, I'm considering a pergola of sorts over the raised beds to create some shade, then adding some sort of vine on it for added shade.  I'm thinking of just simple posts in the ground with cross beams, and lattice across the top to make it more decorative because it will be in the front yard.  I'm thinking and praying over this idea more and more because it seems like a good alternative.

The shade provided by this trellis is exactly what I was thinking about.

The placement of these raised beds is almost exactly what I was thinking with a couple exceptions.  The star in the middle wouldn't be there and the beds along the side would connect making one long "edge" of raised bed.  Of course there would be more room due to the dimensions of our raised bed area being 24' x 24'.

I'd like to add the split rail fence and wire fence around the exterior due to wild animals and stray dogs in our area.  The placement and "ground" in this picture is very close to how I'd like to put my raised beds.  I have everything sketched out on a grid for future reference.

The pergola idea with flowers.  I was thinking of something like this or a non flowering vining plant due to bees being over head.

Of course watering everything has been largely on my mind as well, so I thought of soaker hoses in this fashion.

The thought behind this would be to simply turn the hose on and leave it on for an hour in the evening and an hour in the morning to completely soak the roots without putting water on the leaves of the plants.  I don't want to burn the leaves of the plants with the Georgia sun shining on water droplets.

 What is the purpose of all this praying, planning, thinking, researching, and observing?  Of course this is a wonderful question!  We have always grown something, whether flowers, gardens, or both.  In the height of our gardening years, we canned over 100 quarts of tomato products with 55 quarts being just sauce, 20+ quarts of salsa, stewed tomatoes, chili sauce and anything else we could find to make with tomatoes.  We canned pickles, jams and jellies, all sorts of combinations of veggies, as well as blanching and freezing 12 dozen ears of corn, pumpkin, zucchini, and everything else we could.  We pressure canned green beans, chili, chicken soup, sausage, venison, potatoes, and whatever else we could.  We dehydrated hot peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, basil, oregano, chives, and anything else we could think of to preserve.

There is so much satisfaction knowing where your food comes from.  The health benefits knowing that there is sea salt instead of iodized salt in your green beans for help with high blood pressure gives so much more peace of mind when preparing these foods for yourself and your family.

This is why we do the work to tend to our family.  It isn't just that it saves us money because the initial investment in the preparation of the raised beds, hoses and so forth is the biggest monetary investment.  But the pay-off is well worth it in the long run.  

This is the area where we will put the raised beds and pergola--4'+ away from the windows.

We certainly have our work "cut out" for us.  This work will begin in January, shortly after Christmas ends and everything is put away.  I will certainly share the progress with everyone, along with pictures.  The beginning of the process will likely be the pergola, then the plastic and then raised beds.  I'm hoping to have lettuces and so forth planted by the end of January since they are cool weather plants.  We will likely have tomatoes and peppers in by the end of February.  We have a 24' x 24' space where we'll plant everything.  Considering the longer growing season, we'll likely be canning and preserving things close to year around, with the exception of canning in the summer months.  I'll freeze everything in the summer to be canned when the outside temperatures are cooler.  

How are you planning?

Have a Blessed Day! 

The Day After the Election

"Yield to those leading you, and be submissive, for they watch for your souls, 

as those who must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief; 

for that is unprofitable for you."

(Heb 13:17)

I have watched many elections and by far this one was the most grueling, among other descriptors that my readers could come up with, I'm sure.  There were many times when I thought to myself, "Could this really be the best caliber of people chosen to run for the most respected position of the United States?"

I struggled with this election.  I struggled with who to vote for, whether Republican, Independent, Grass Roots, or Constitutional Party.  I am certain that the struggle I've dealt with has not been one that I alone have dealt with.

I am not one who tries to post unedifying, unloving, posts either here or on social media and that will remain the same.  Edifying and glorifying the Lord with my posts, whatever comes from my fingers or mouth should really be edifying regardless, instead of belittling, degrading, demeaning, or other types of ilk.  I've chosen to build up instead of tear down.  I believe it speaks volumes to folks of love when I set my heart and mind on my words--spoken and written--to be edifying.

It is my prayer for our newly elected leaders that they would humble themselves before the Lord, submitting themselves to Him, work hard for those they serve, and they work hard with their words to be the utmost in edification and God glorifying.

Let us each remember that we have a choice of building people up or tearing them down.  It is so much easier to build people up, encourage them, and love them.  It does so much for them, but it works even more on our own spirits if we set our hearts and minds on edifying, God glorifying speech. Nothing speaks more of the Love of Christ than to edify and glorify God in our speech and actions.

Would you please join me in purposefully choosing to edify others--no matter which political party they voted for--glorifying God and loving others with our speech and actions?

Humbly,

Finding a New Normal, for Now

The semblance of organization and order in my home right now is severely lacking.  At least that's what it feels like to me.  I struggle with having enough time to get things done before my leg starts hurting again and I need to get on the heating pad.  I struggle to remind my kids to get their chores done.  I struggle to find a sense of normalcy through all this change.

I would love to have unlimited time and energy to finish filing all those receipts that I've put by the wayside because simply getting on to the floor takes so much effort, then there is the getting back up.  I can't use my knees to prop myself up to get up, so I get creative to get up off the floor.  I'm getting pretty good at it too, but I'll spare you the details.  LOL

I slowly work on filing receipts in their proper places, including the shredder if need be.  I sit in my office chair, crouching down to get the receipts off the box on the floor and put it on the chair in front of me.  I sit for about a half an hour filing as much as I can, then I get up, take laundry from the bedroom and walk around the house, get laundry going and find my heating pad.  I go for a walk with Ginger and come back to sit with the heating pad on my leg.  This is the way things go 4 times each day.  But I'm usually doing something different each time. LOL

Then there is the times when we go to our home school groups, church, and any other errands.  If we're going to be 45 minutes to an hour away from home, we take the big cooler, 2 pillows, and 2 heating pads to prop my leg up in the van to make sure I follow Dr's orders.

A Christmas present for my Mother.

As I sit in the back seat, I usually knit on this shawl that I'm making for my mother for Christmas.  I have been working on it for a while, a little at a time, so it's taking a while.  I hope to finish it by the end of November so I can get it packaged and sent to her along with a pair of socks that I made a while back out of the same yarn.  I originally made the socks for myself, but when we moved to Georgia, the socks were not being worn due to the heat.  I decided at that time to give them to my Mother to keep her warm in the winter.

They're basic "no frills" socks that I'm sure she'll love.  I was hoping to get some fingerless mitts finished for her too, but I'm afraid I'll miss getting these other two things to her if I try to add those too.  

Right now I'm only allowed to go as far as an hour from home and back either driving or riding in one day.  So, if I have more than that to drive, I have to decide which activity to go to, prioritizing my activities.  Some days are more difficult to decide than others, but I'm definitely finding the need to stay home a welcome reprieve from running so much.  I'm glad 2 out of 3 of my kids have their driver's licenses so they can drive.  What a blessing!

What is God teaching me through all of this?  In some instances it is easy to see, in others, not so much.  Time will tell what His lessons are for me right now.

What is God teaching you in this season of your life?

Blessings,

Considering the Future

My husband and I are beginning to consider what our lives will be like once our young folks sprout wings and leave our nest.  We are looking at downsizing our home, even though we just moved here last year.  We are looking at possibly having more property, even though it means more work to do the things we'd like to do.

We're realizing that we are limited with how much activity we can participate in at church living almost an hour away.  The special things that happen on days other than Sundays and Wednesdays simply cannot be attended because it isn't just a short jaunt over to the church or to a Couple's Night with our dear folks in our Sunday School class whom we've grown to love.  So we pray.  We'll find out soon enough what the Lord's will is for this as we lay this at His feet.  There is a lot to consider and even still, we consider the necessity of selling our current house when the time comes too.  Lots to consider.

We're realizing that we will be physically limited with how much we can accomplish on a daily basis due to the fact that our young folks will be out of the nest.  I mentioned to my husband that we could get him a good tractor (not to be confused with "new") with accessories that would help him do the work that is needful without needing one or more of the kids around to do it.  But, the other things, like putting up fences or things like that, if course we'd ask the kids to come help.

We're realizing that we'll need a house with 2 master bedroom/bathrooms just in case there is a need for one of our parents to move in with us.  Additionally, we're looking at building an apartment over a garage just in case our oldest son needs a place.  That will give him his own space and as much autonomy as possible.

We've talked about "puttering" with our days on the property.  We've talked about having a garden and having fruit trees and selling the produce.  We've talked about going to different festivals with things that we make to sell.

It's a sweet thought for us to have things like this in mind for our future.  I don't want anything ornate, but simple and all one level, but nothing too big.  I want to be able to have family and friends over to love on them.  I want to bless others and serve the Lord with my husband.

"Ponder the path of your feet, and all your ways will be established." 

(Pro 4:26)

In Christ,