Proverbs Intro

The first section we will cover in bible study is Proverbs.

Each week I'll take one or a few verses from Proverbs and share with you what the Lord has given me regarding those verses.

I hope this helps others to think and truly dive in to their bible reading and come to deeper understanding of His truths as much as it is helping  me.

All verses will be taken from the King James version.

Proverbs 1:1-6

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;  To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;  To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;  To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.  A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:  To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

These first six verses are an introduction to the rest of the book of Proverbs. They tell us who is writing and why.

There are a few other authors in Proverbs, but we start out with King Solomon, a man with great wisdom from God.

The Proverbs are essentially life instructions. Guidence in wisdom.

Basically: it's there so we don't have to learn everything the hard way.

If we take the time to learn and apply the lessons and truths found in Proverbs we take the path with less struggle because we're not falling into our own foolish and flesh driven traps.

Many people practice reading a proverb a day to continue to keep these instructions in wisdom close to their heart and mind.

I look forward to diving into these truths with each of you and any respectful discussion that comes out of this study.

I'm back! With a year end update and a promise

Okay, I've neglected my poor blog again. Not happening again. I'm working on a plan for 3 posts a week. Tuesday will be a scripture study and life application post. Thursday and Saturday posts will be a mix of homeschooling, frugal, parenting, garden, canning and critter posts.

So how have I done on those goals I set at the beginning of the year you ask???

1. Read the bible and 4 other books
I'm still on track with my bible reading and have read 9 other books this year.

2. Take a meal to one family/person a week
This one got neglected. Around June finances got tight and gas became a precious commodity. We've managed about once a month since then.

3. Get off TANF
Last TANF payment was in August. Things are tighter than I'd like, but we're managing.

4. Grow or produce most of our food: grocery goal budget is $200 or less
I've managed to keep my grocery budget at a $225 average for the last 6 months.  Mostly due to changes in shopping habits, the garden wasn't very fruitful this year.

5. Get involved in another ministry at church

I have not taken on a specific ministry in the church. With illnesses and the chaos of my schedule, it's not practical. I have however continued to step in to help where I can as often as possible.

6. Work on house: paint interior, replace carpet, upgrade some insulation

The carpet and paint are done in every room but my own. The insulation went untouched, but we did install a wood stove to improve the heating efficiency and lower the cost. So far, I have spent $0 to heat the house this fall!

7. Build up stock for craft fairs: complete 10 projects a month, not including orders

I've hardly been able to keep up with orders and things we need, but I have managed a small amount of stock items.

8. Eat better: more organic, no soy, mostly GF, less sugar
We've gotten rid of the soy and really cut back on sugar. We're about 50% organic and everyone eats less gluten. At least 3x a week our meals are gluten free.

9. Stop smoking

Still a lingering bad habit. I'm doing better and still making a conscious effort to cut back.

10. Expand animals and their housing

Due to some unforeseen events, I was forced to sell the goats. We now have 7 ducks (1 Drake and 6 hens) and 8 chicken hens. 

Other than the smoking, I'm pleased with the progress I made this year and can not wait to see what the coming year holds!

Weekly Goals~ July 7th 2014

It's been a fairly productive week around here! Hopefully soon I'll be able to add more blog work back in.

Finance
~Earn $300... and more!

Animals
~enlarge chicken run... didn't get finished, but I did get started and get a different water set up that freed up some space

~either sell or slaughter roosters... I have some possible interest, I'm waiting on a firm answer before I butcher

~continue to try to catch or kill the wild rabbit... continued to try, but she's still winning

~determine what materials I need for milk stand... I have most of what I need, now to find the time to build it!

Food
~$50 max... $49.62

~meal plan from pantry... accomplished easily

Sewing/knitting/crochting
~finish afghan... done

~reusable produce bags... done

~ cut purse pieces... done

Reading
~Bible, follow plan... on track
~Clean House finish... finished
~Sheparding a Child's Heart, finish... finished

Business

~Make business cards... I'm slacking
~Contact local Saturday market... did I mention I'm slacking

Homeschooling 
~Accomplish at least 2 hours of school per day... mostly

~ start looking for more curriculum... looked and realized it's just not in the budget

Projects

~rest of carpet up... nope

~haul, rake and level the (free) gravel for shed area... hauled several loads and raked them, but didn't get it finished

Garden
~rip out peas... done

~plant something else in their place... went with sunflowers, they'll be beautiful and then we'll save the seeds to help offset critter feed

Other
~deliver one meal... done

~house & pet sit for family that is out of town... and I enjoyed their Netflix too

~make an updated project list... that was scary

~make a detailed list of potential changes and the likely savings... that was enlightening and slightly depressing

Additionally
~baby hat to match Afghan
~turned scrap yarn into pot holder
~finished over half of a gift for my mother

I need to work on managing all my tasks I need to get to run our life and be able to expand my business. for this week.....

Finance
~Earn $300
~set up online bill pay for water bill

Animals
~finish enlarging chicken run
~either sell or slaughter roosters
~continue to try to catch or kill the wild rabbit

Food
~$50 budget
~meal plan from pantry

Sewing/knitting/crochting
~finish 5 pot holders
~embroider butterfly on purse

Reading
~Bible, follow plan
~start reading Pay Dirt

Business
~Make business cards

Homeschooling 
~Accomplish at least 2 hours of school per day

Projects
~rest of carpet up
~haul, rake and level the (free) gravel for shed area
~move shed
~finish floor in girls room

Garden
~make a plan for a fall garden
~determined what edibles I can grow indoors and in the greenhouse for the winter

Other
~deliver one meal
~go through all the garage sale leftovers and get them posted online
~figure out the rest of the Christmas gifts for family and friends

Weekly goal ~ June 30th 2014

Okay, so I dissapeared for a week. It has been a crazy couple of weeks because, well, our life is crazy, last week was vacation bible school and my children decided it was a great time to pass around a stomach bug.

A quick summary...

~ I've met my $300 a week goal both weeks

~ I found a less expensive source of chicken feed

~ I've spent $15 on groceries in two weeks

~ my oldest daughter created a pantry and freezer inventory to help with meal planning

~ I found the perfect nightgown pattern and a possible dress pattern

~ the Afghan is almost done

~ bible reading is on track and I've made progress in both books I'm reading

~ I got a few more items stocked on etsy

~ clothesline is up

~ carpet is up in the girls room

~ had a meeting with pastor

~ talked to insurance and got my bill lowered $10 a month

~ had a moderately successful garage sale

So, now to move forward with another week and some fresh goals!

Finance
~Earn $300

Animals
~enlarge chicken run

~either sell or slaughter roosters... we ended up with 2!

~continue to try to catch or kill the wild rabbit

~determine what materials I need for milk stand

Food
~$50 max

~meal plan from pantry

Sewing/knitting/crochting
~finish afghan

~reusable produce bags

~ cut purse pieces

Reading
~Bible, follow plan
~Clean House finish
~Sheparding a Child's Heart, finish

Business

~Make business cards
~Contact local Saturday market

Homeschooling
~Accomplish at least 2 hours of school per day

~ start looking for more curriculum

Projects

~rest of carpet up

~haul, rake and level the (free) gravel for shed area

Garden
~rip out peas

~plant something else in their place

Other
~deliver one meal

~house & pet sit for family that is out of town

~make an updated project list

~make a detailed list of potential changes and the likely savings

That should be enough to make me fall over dead tired each night!

Weekly Goals ~ June 16th

Well, working 4 days a week is wonderful, but does take some adjustment!

Finance
~Earn $400... almost!
~Cut budget by $25... I found about $5 to cut but I'm not sure what else can be cut

Animals
~Get buck and drakes sold... check!!!!

Food
~$10 budget... blown, I spent $43

Sewing/knitting/crochting
~finish off mending basket... done
~30 rows on Afghan... I accomplished 11 rows

Reading
~Bible, get caught up... still not caught up
~Clean House chapter 10... didn't even touch it
~Sheparding a Child's Heart Chapters 10-12... done

Business
~Stock Etsy shop, at least 5 more items... 3 items stocked
~Make 8 business cards... nope
~Contact local Saturday market... still didn't do it

Homeschooling
~Accomplish at least 2 hours of school per day... only 2/6 days

Projects
~Put up new clothes line... nope

And there were no additional accomplishments. I am actually very discouraged. While I know I did a great deal this week, I don't think I made the best use of my time. I need to be more diligent and watchful of my time!

I'll be adding a few new categories this week to encompass all my monthly goals.

Finance
~Earn $300
~Assess water, electric and gas usage for possible cuts

Animals
~enlarge chicken run

Food
~no buy week

Sewing/knitting/crochting
~30 rows on Afghan
~find/make night gown pattern
~print purse pattern
~reusable produce bags

Reading
~Bible, get caught up
~Clean House chapter 10
~Sheparding a Child's Heart Chapters 13-15

Business
~Stock Etsy shop, at least 5 more items
~Make 8 business cards
~Contact local Saturday market

Homeschooling
~Accomplish at least 2 hours of school per day

Projects
~Put up new clothes line
~rest of carpet up

Garden
~tie up peas
~cut and freeze some herbs

Other
~1 meal delivered
~meet with pastor

Weekly Goals ~ June 9th

Another week has passed and it's been a busy one!!!

Finance
~Earn $400 this week... almost made it!
~Write out June budget... check

Animals
~Keep trying to get drakes and buck sold... I tried, but no takers
~Check with 1 business about waste produce... didn't happen

Food
~$140 budget (this includes stocking up on spaghetti sauce, rice, and other staples)... spent $170, I ended up going to visit family and hit up two awesome discount stores there!
~Continue to try to catch wild rabbit... she's still hopping about
~Start potato tower... check!

Sewing/knitting/crochting
~1 item from mending/alteration basket each day... check
~Find yarn... check
~30 rows on Afghan... did a skein on the other project, but not the Afghan, I'm waiting on the yarn I ordered
~Pick fabric, floss and embroidery pattern for purse... check!!!

Reading
~Bible, get caught up... I'm 3 days behind still
~Clean House chapter 9... check
~Sheparding a Child's Heart Chapters 8&9... check

Business
~Stock Etsy shop, at least 25 items... I've been stocking items, but it is a slower process than I anticipated
~Make 8 business cards... didn't even try
~Contact local Saturday market... completely spaced this one!

Homeschooling
~Select new community welfare project... check
~Write up approximately 4 weeks of bible curriculum... check

Projects
~Put up new clothes line... nope
~Install screen door... yes, it's a beauty
~Paint kitchen... it looks wonderful!

Additionally
~pulled up carpet and several layers of linoleum in the living room and boys room... revealing the original hardwood floor. Looks fabulous!
~Got a new babysitting job!

Now for this week's goals!!!

Finance
~Earn $400
~Cut budget by $25

Animals
~Get buck and drakes sold

Food
~$10 budget

Sewing/knitting/crochting
~finish off mending basket
~30 rows on Afghan

Reading
~Bible, get caught up
~Clean House chapter 10
~Sheparding a Child's Heart Chapters 10-12

Business
~Stock Etsy shop, at least 5 more items
~Make 8 business cards
~Contact local Saturday market

Homeschooling
~Accomplish at least 2 hours of school per day

Projects
~Put up new clothes line

I feel like I'm aiming low this week... but I'm also going to be working 3 or 4 days this week. Here goes nothing!!!

Weekly Goals~ June 2nd

Better than last week, but I clearly have an aim for the moon and land among the stars philosophy.

Finance
~Earn $300 this week... made it about half way

Animals
~Sell 2 drakes... pushed the post, but no sale
~Post buck for sale... posted and reposted
~Check with 2 businesses about waste produce... one yes, one no

Food
~$20 budget... $20.11, close enough
~Continue to try to catch wild rabbit... 3 sightings and it's still roaming free
~Start potato tower... umm, nope

Sewing/knitting/crochting
~1 item from mending/alteration basket each day... check
~finish baby shower gift... check
~20 rows on Afghan... nope, haven't found the yarn I need yet

Reading
~Bible Ezra 1- Job 4... I finished Nehemiah.... oops
~Clean House chapters 6-8... check
~Sheparding a Child's Heart Chapters 6&7... check

Business
~Post at least 3 flyers... check
~One Facebook post per day... check
~Set up Etsy shop... check
~Make 10 business cards... I made 2
~Make 15 ribbon tags... check

Homeschooling
~Catch up grading and filing...check
~Refill Chey and Dakota's baskets... check

Projects
~Clean up green house... check
~Paint and install screen door... it's painted but not hung

Additionally
~cleaned out shed
~cleared brambles along back fence line

And now for this week's goals!

Finance
~Earn $400 this week
~Write out June budget

Animals
~Keep trying to get drakes and buck sold
~Check with 1 business about waste produce

Food
~$140 budget (this includes stocking up on spaghetti sauce, rice, and other staples)
~Continue to try to catch wild rabbit
~Start potato tower

Sewing/knitting/crochting
~1 item from mending/alteration basket each day
~Find yarn
~30 rows on Afghan
~Pick fabric, floss and embroidery pattern for purse

Reading
~Bible, get caught up!
~Clean House chapter 9
~Sheparding a Child's Heart Chapters 8&9

Business
~Stock Etsy shop, at least 25 items
~Make 8 business cards
~Contact local Saturday market

Homeschooling
~Select new community welfare project
~Write up approximately 4 weeks of bible curriculum

Projects
~Put up new clothes line
~Install screen door
~Paint kitchen

Let's see if I can knock this list out!

Scheduling

Homeschooling, church, homesteading, running a business, keeping house, errands, appointments, odd jobs, family time, extra projects and maintaining relationships with those we care for....

That's a lot. That's our life.

How do I fit it all in each day? 

Simple. I don't.

I've accepted that no day will ever be complete. But I can keep moving in the right direction. I can make progress, but completion is for when I've gone home to be with the Lord.

Until then, there's time management. There's avoiding my breads of idleness. There's prioritizing.

 I have this cute little poster on the wall. Its a daily schedule for each family member to follow Monday through Saturday. In six months we've achieved this twice. Thats 2 out of 180. Those aren't great odd.

When that bugs me, I hear Michelle Duggar's voice in my head saying ''at least we have a goal!''

That's the point. A goal. Not perfection.

What does our goal look like?

-Wake up, dressed and ready, family bible and prayer time
-Breakfast, clean up, morning stewardship (otherwise know as chores)
-School or errands
-Lunch, bible reading, clean up and afternoon stewardship... this is when nappers get laid down
-Free play for kids (or more school for those who want to) while I do business stuff or work on mending and sewing
-Dinner, family devotionals, clean up, baths and evening stewardship
-Bedtime for the munchkins and I catch up anything I need to, do my bible study and work on custom orders

And sometimes we toss the whole thing to visit those we love or because I've had extra work that requires us to be outside the house for an entire day.

Decide what your priorities and goals are and build your day around those, but always be flexible!!!!

Weekly Goals ~ May 26

Well, not the most impressive week.
But when you toss in that we had the stomach flu for half the week, I think I kicked butt!

Here's how the week played out...

Finance
~Earn $250 this week (only made $85... I had to cancel 2 jobs the days I was sick)
~Evaluate budget to account for job loss... doesn't look too bad, not good or easy but nothing to panic about

Animals
~Sell 2 drakes... a few people were interested, but no takers
~Find a new source of free feed... found!

Food
~A "buy nothing" week... I spent $5 on bananas while we were sick, we were all on the B.R.A.T diet
~Start many seeds... started as many as I'll be doing until that rabbit is gone!
~Start potato tower... didn't happen.

Sewing/knitting/crochting
~1 item from mending/alteration basket each day... success!
~baby shower gift... is almost done.
~20 rows on Afghan... 25 actually

Reading
~Bible 2 Chronicals 32- Nehemiah 6... I made it to Ezra
~Clean House chapters 3-5... done
~Sheparding a Child's Heart Chapters 4&5... done

Business
~Post at least 3 flyers... printed but not posted
~List at least 2 ready made items online daily... I managed 2 post most days, but at least one each day

Homeschooling
~Catch up grading and filing... about 50% caught up
~Help oldest 2 through work... their back on track
~Organize school corner... it's so pretty!!

Projects
~Secure fence line so ducks can free range... check
~Clean up green house... did I mention the stomach flu?! Yeah, didn't happen
~Price water barrels... check and no
~paint laundry room... check, even painted the storage room

Additional accomplishments
~turned off pilot light for furnace
~found $5 shoes for me for church
~cleaned and organized most of my room (the sewing table isn't done, but that's a full day project)

It bothers me that in each category there is at least one task I didn't accomplish. This week I'm aiming just as high, but I want to see at least one category complete... hopefully, they'll all be completed!

For this week....

Finance
~Earn $300 this week

Animals
~Sell 2 drakes
~Post buck for sale
~Check with 2 businesses about waste produce

Food
~$20 budget
~Continue to try to catch wild rabbit
~Start potato tower

Sewing/knitting/crochting
~1 item from mending/alteration basket each day (yeah, it's a full basket!)
~finish baby shower gift
~20 rows on Afghan

Reading
~Bible Ezra 1- Job 4
~Clean House chapters 6-8
~Sheparding a Child's Heart Chapters 6&7

Business
~Post at least 3 flyers
~One Facebook post per day
~Set up Etsy shop
~Make 10 business cards
~Make 15 ribbon tags

Homeschooling
~Catch up grading and filing
~Refill Chey and Dakota's baskets

Projects
~Clean up green house
~Paint and install screen door

Here goes Nothing!

Homeschooling Plans and Curriculum

I like to plan things... clearly.

But I've learned that all my plans need to be flexible or I go a little crazy because the plan isn't working.

Our homeschool plan has to account for last minuet work opportunities, nice days spent outside working the garden, animals and yes, enjoying it, sickness that never seems to end and a myriad of other things that make being a single parent, homesteading, homeschooling family rather interesting.

First of all, curriculum.

I had big dreams of finally buying the Rod and Staff curriculum I so greatly adore. Unfortunately at this point, that's not an option. Back to dream land goes that plan.

The back up plan is to create my own curriculum.

I'm sure there are 100 million ways to do this. My way works for us, so I'll stick with it.

Everyone works on what they have and I give them harder packets (of free printables) or workbooks as they complete what they had with competence. I pay little attention to grade level, I just increase the difficulty as they master a skill.

Sometimes that means someone is doing basic subtraction or coin values for 6-8 weeks until it clicks and then they may get the next skill down in a week or 2.

For things like introducing government and history topics we get age appropriate books from the library (we go every other week) and read them together. I answer any questions they may have that wasn't covered in the book. Some questions I can't answer, because even Google doesn't give you Abe Lincoln's favorite color.

I plan to do a homeschooling post every Wednesday. Next week I'll cover how homeschooling fits into our day!

Meal Plan for May 19-24

Meal planning is an important aspect of not only staying on budget but staying sane around here.

I plan our meals for the week on Sunday night. I only plan Monday-Saturday. Sunday we have cereal for breakfast, leftovers for lunch and dinner at grandma's.... so no planning required.

This week's meal plan looks like this:

Monday
B: pumpkin cake with fruit
L: PB&J with cucumbers
D: leftovers

Tuesday
B: cereal
L: GF burritos and pizza rolls (my mom dropped them off for the kids as a treat)
D: curry and rice with mixed veggies
Wednesday
B: loaded scrambled eggs (What they're loaded with depends on what needs used up)
L: mashed potatoes with gravy
D: taco rice and left overs

Thursday
B: pumpkin cake (we have tons of pumpkin and this recipe is a hit!)
L: PB&J with applesauce
D: fried potatoes, veggies and soup

Friday
B: oatmeal with fruit
L: tuna, crackers, pickles, granola, dried fruit (what my kids call a picnic lunch)
D: salad and leftovers

Saturday
B: loaded scrambled eggs
L: fried potatoes, fruits and veggies
D: chicken and rice with gravy and veggies

For snacks we have fruits, veggies, some snack bars I got for $0.95 a box, nuts and pretzels.

Next week will hopefully be another no buy week, but I foresee milk and some veggies on the list.

Weekly goals ~ May 20th

In an effort to help me stay on track with how many things I have going on and to shed some light onto some of the behind the scenes work that keeps my household running, I've decided to set weekly goals and post them each Monday.

These goals will cover many areas of life, but all are central to the flow of our lives.

At the end of the week, I'll post some of my accomplishments.

Finance
~Earn $250 this week
~Evaluate budget to account for job loss

Animals
~Sell 2 drakes
~Find a new source of free feed

Food
~A "buy nothing" week
~Start many seeds
~Start potato tower

Sewing/knitting/crochting
~1 item from mending/alteration basket each day
~baby shower gift
~20 rows on Afghan

Reading
~Bible 2 Chronicals 32- Nehemiah 6
~Clean House chapters 3-5
~Sheparding a Child's Heart Chapters 4&5

Business
~Post at least 3 flyers
~List at least 2 ready made items online daily

Homeschooling
~Catch up grading and filing
~Help oldest 2 through work
~Organize school corner

Projects
~Secure fence line so ducks can free range
~Clean up green house
~Price water barrels
~paint laundry room

Each of these tasks helps move my family toward our ultimate goals.

An Increase

I've been a very good girl lately.

I've been looking and looking at animals... but I haven't bought any in MONTHS!

In fact, I've sold several over those months!

This is big for me.

But today... I bought.

I bought exactly what I've been looking for... a pair of buff ducks!

*squeeeeeeeaaaaaallllllllll*

They're so perfect!

That leaves only a few more duck hens and I'm done buying animals.

I haven't done a critter count in awhile because it just doesn't change as often lately. So where are we at now with our critters?

4 goats. 1 buck and 4 does.

10 chickens. All hens.

6 ducks. 3 drakes and 3 hens. Which is a problem... so hopefully the Cayuga and Swedish Black drakes sell soon!

Grand total of 20... which is nothing compared to the 50-60 the rabbits kept us at!

I'm hoping to get some Ancona ducklings this week and be done with critter collecting.

We'll be left with only multiplication and not addition.

One of our goats, Butterscotch, is due to kid in the next month. Trixie is due in September and I just finished drying up Pepper Rose and put her in the breeding pen.

We have a broody hen and we got some fertile duck eggs under her, but something got the eggs. But we'll try again, because she's still trying to sit a nest with nothing in it!

Now to get the garden going and I'll be one happy little farmer girl.

Trust

I'm a goal setting type person... clearly.

The problem with that is remembering that life isn't a race to check off all the "to-do's" on your list.

Life is a process. It changes. It has seasons. Sometimes you knock it out of the part and sometimes you fall on your face.

Both are okay. In fact, both are vital.

If not for my "failures" I wouldn't have the chance to work harder, test my mind and abilities, and show those around me that impossible means nothing when God is with you.

Those are the moments when I can give God all the credit and no one argues. The moments people are saying "I don't know how you do it!" I can say "God works all things for His good and glory for those who serve Him. He provides strength, energy, motivation and opportunity that this world can't."

No one argues.

They either agree or get quiet.

Either they're faith is contented and the glory of the Lord more firmed in their mind.

Or they're thinking. Because everything I said challenges what they believe and the stance they've taken on spiritual issues.

Do I think what I do is that amazing? Nope.

I think what I do is mundane, repetitive, "old school", rewarding and different than what most people are seeking. But more importantly, I think it's exactly where God wants me.

He has a plan for my good and His glory (anyone else start singing?) and it's my job to trust that His plans are better than mine.

3 years ago my plans involved living happily-ever-after, babies, a dog, buying a house and selling knit and crochet items in my free time.

Now... well, now looks very different......

There is no happily-ever-after. The divorce process has started.

My baby is 2! What? How is he 2? I've been in denial.

A dog sounds like a lot of useless work. If my kids want a pet, they can have a hermit crab or claim a chicken!

I did buy a house... but it's not at all what had been in my plan. I can see my neighbors (many of them!) and I don't even have 1 acre, let alone the 6+ I dreamed of.

And what the heck is free time? There's bible time, church time, kid time, critter time, cleaning time, school time, volunteer time, fellowship time, work time and sometimes I even have sleep time! None of my time is free... its all been delegated to a useful purpose.

For me it marks a huge point of growth to say "I had this plan, it went ABC. But God's plan is different than mine, and I'm going to trust Him. He made me, so He knows what's best for me."

I'm still going to keep prayerfully  making plans, but hopefully I never again dig my heels in the sand like a stubborn fool because God didn't follow my plan.

I'm going to do my best to trust the Lord with all my heart, soul and might. That's part of loving Him, we trust those we love.

April end and May Goals

Over all I moved in the right direction. As usual I failed to reach the extremely high goals I set, but I did better I think.

1. Read the bible and 4 other books
April: Stayed on track with bible reading and started another book. Plus I've been studying Philippians daily because that's where God has led me.

May goal: continue reading plan and make it through half of book.

2. Take a meal to one family/person a week
April: I accomplished 4/4!

May goal: another 4/4!

3. Get off TANF
April: I lowered my expenses by $40 and exceeded my income goal.

May goal: income goal is set, lower expenses by another $20.

4. Grow or produce most of our food: grocery goal budget is $200 or less
April Remaining: -$17.53 (but I have a 4 month stock of milk for the boys, for $20)

Steps I took this month:
~started lots of seeds
~continued milking Pepper Rose, built her supply up a bit more!
~made several attempts get the white rabbit

May Goals: budget: $300

Steps to get us there:
~build at least one raised bed
~build milk stand
~start more seeds
~get rid of wild rabbit

5. Get involved in another ministry at church
April: I have just continued to help out as often as I can. It's been incredibly rewarding and fulfilling!

May goal: this month I'm going to make an effort to introduce myself to at least one new person a week and be more out going, because in everything I do that will be helpful.

6. Work on house: paint interior, replace carpet, upgrade some insulation
April:
~Painted girls room
~painted boys room

May Goals:
~touch up laundry room
~install outlet/switch insulators
~Get a screen door
~Price fence
~Carpet up in boys room

7. Build up stock for craft fairs: completely 10 projects a month, not including orders
April:
Projects completed: all orders
Projects to complete: 1 blanket, 1 plarn bag

May goal: 2 new orders, 1 blanket, 1 plant bag

8. Eat better: more organic, no soy, mostly GF, less sugar
April: We've reached a point of no soy, very little sugar, mostly GF (only thing I still buy/make separately is bread) and about 75% organic!

May goal: This month I want to really clean out the freezer and cupboards of non-organic, processed stuff. Most of it is gone, but much still lingers.

9. Stop smoking
April: I smoked 8 days in April.

May goal: kick the nasty habit!

10. Expand animals and their housing: 3 ducks, 1 goat pen
April:
~sold all the rabbits
~cleaned up goat pen area
~found 1 new source of forage feed to cut costs

May Goals:
~Add 3 duck hens
~Build second goat pen

April goals

Here we go again!!! Another month of goals, which I plan to write out and put up on the wall in the kitchen to help me stay focused!

1. Read the bible and 4 other books
Stay on track with bible reading and start another book.

2. Take a meal to one family/person a week
I have 3 families lined up already, so I just need to pick one more.

3. Get off TANF
I have set my income goal for the month and also want to lower my expenses by at least $50.

4. Grow or produce most of our food: grocery goal budget is $200 or less
Grocery budget goal: $300

Steps to get us there:
~Get lots of starts going
~build at least one raised bed
~build milk stand and keep milking Pepper Rose
~get rid of wild rabbit

5. Get involved in another ministry at church
I'm just going to continue to help out where I can.

6. Work on house: paint interior, replace carpet, upgrade some insulation
This month's to do list:
~touch up laundry room
~paint girls room
~install outlet/switch insulators

7. Build up stock for craft fairs: completely 10 projects a month, not including orders
Projects to complete: all orders (5 items), 1 blanket, 1 plarn bag

8. Eat better: more organic, no soy, mostly GF, less sugar
At this point, this is one I just keep making progress on. We've accomplished no soy, now I'm focusing on the gluten free part and always buying as organic as the budget allows.

9. Stop smoking
No smoking. At all.

10. Expand animals and their housing: 3 ducks, 1 goat pen
~Add 3 duck hens
~Build second goat pen

Let it go

Let's not talk about how that title completely reveals my love for the movie Frozen. Let's not even talk about the movie... let's just talk about letting go.

The Christian life as so many choose to see it is a life of adding and multiplication. Add Jesus and you'll get everything good and wonderful on earth multiplied unto you.

The problem is the Christian life isn't about earth.

Yes, we need to use the time we have hear to reach out and save as many souls and heal as many hurts as we can.

But this life. This flesh. This stuff... it's all fleeting.

The truth is on earth The Christian life, when lived as Jesus calls us to, is one of subtraction and division.
Subtract the sin, subtract anything that divides you from God, divide the resources to help those in need.

Then one day in heaven all the good and wonderful things will be multiplied unto you.

Because heaven is what it's all about. Living for eternity, not living for now.

I'm in a place now where God is calling me to remove something from my life. It's not an inherently bad thing. It's part of many lives without problem. But for me, it's become a stumbling block that I never saw coming.

I don't care what it is; if it comes between you and God, if it takes some of the glory due Him, if it deters you from doing good works... it needs to go.

It can be certain people, television, coffee, a hobby, a goal, a place you go... they're not bad, but the take a place in our hearts and focus that belongs to the Lord. For that alone they need purged.

Join me in prayer that the Lord purge each of our lives of all things that don't bring him honor and glory.

March summary

I aimed really high this month... and then I forgot to stay focused on the specific goals for this month. So, while this looks like I did almost nothing, I did accomplish projects just none of the ones I had planned on doing. I may need to work on that area of self control!

1. Read the bible and 4 other books
I'm staying on track with my bible reading plan, finished the devotional and book I was reading and started a new devotional.

2. Take a meal to one family/person a week
I accomplished 4/4 this month.

3. Get off TANF
I have continued to find small ways to cut my spending, none are big money savers but each one helps. I lost one of my smallest baby sitting jobs, but have managed to still reach my income goal.

4. Grow or produce most of our food: grocery goal budget is $200 or less
I went over budget buy $2.19 but I can live with that.

I have garlic in the ground and raised beds laid out, but not much got finished.

5. Get involved in another ministry at church
I signed up for the church work day and figure I'll be as much help as I can be with 6 kids in tow and I reached out with an offer to help one of the few women I know who are just as exhausted (if not more so!) as I am.

6. Work on house: paint interior, replace carpet, upgrade some insulation

This month's to do list:
~paint living room
~touch up laundry room
~paint boys room
~install outlet/switch insulators
~pull up boys bedroom carpet and made the vinyl presentable

Things I actually got done:
Worked on getting rid of mice
Nothing else

7. Build up stock for craft fairs: completely 10 projects a month, not including orders
Completed: nothing
Projects to complete: 1 blanket, 3 plarn bags, 6 dishcloths, 2 hats

8. Eat better: more organic, no soy, mostly GF, less sugar
Tried a new pancake recipe, it was awful! The black bean and rice enchiladas were a success though! And the pumpkin cake was a big hit! I'm getting the stock pile worked through and slowly ridding us of the things I'd rather we not consume, but I didn't always stick to the meal plan.

9. Stop smoking
I smoked on 9 days in March... longest smoke free streak 11 days and counting!

10. Expand animals and their housing: 3 ducklings, 1 goat pen
Rabbit cages are finished, barn rearranged and old cages moved out.

I bought ducklings and there was a disaster that ended in me almost killing my cat. So I'll have to start over there.

The idea of raising broiler chickens as come up and I'll be contemplating that and maybe adding those to the list.

2014 goals... take 3!

I'm really not proud of how last month ended... so I'm going to buckle down and hopefully no one gets the stomach flu (or anything else!) this month so I can accomplish what I'm setting out to do.

That would this stuff down here...

1. Read the bible and 4 other books
I want to stay on track with my bible reading plan, finish the book and devotional I'm reading and start a new devotional.

2. Take a meal to one family/person a week
I've got 3 out of 4 people picked already, so I just need to pick another family and get them done! No excuses!

3. Get off TANF
This month I'll be continuing the job search, set a higher income goal and I'll be scrutinizing my budget to find a few more areas to cut. If I can't make more, I'll have to spend less.

4. Grow or produce most of our food: grocery goal budget is $200 or less
This month's grocery budget is: $300
Also need to build a stanchion to milk the goats, build 2 of my raised beds out back, start at least 2 more indoor edible/medicinal plants and try my hand at putting together a cold frame and getting some garlic and onions in the ground.

5. Get involved in another ministry at church
I just need to step up and volunteer for some stuff. I'll admit, I get afraid to try because I have to bring the kids along, and I don't think I am really any help to anyone when my attention is divided.

6. Work on house: paint interior, replace carpet, upgrade some insulation
This month's to do list:
~paint living room
~touch up laundry room
~paint boys room
~install outlet/switch insulators
~pull up boys bedroom carpet and made the vinyl presentable

7. Build up stock for craft fairs: completely 10 projects a month, not including orders
Projects to complete: 1 blanket, 3 plarn bags, 6 dishcloths, 2 hats

8. Eat better: more organic, no soy, mostly GF, less sugar
I want to try one new recipe a week and I'm meal planning around what's in the pantry and fridge to use up some things.

9. Stop smoking
I'm going to push myself hard and I'm done smoking. No more. Not one.

10. Expand animals and their housing: 3 ducklings, 1 goat pen
Rabbit cages will get done and 8 ducklings will be added this month, hopefully those 8 ducklings result in at least 3 hens and not all drakes!

Pinching pennies

I like to save my pennies.

I'll put extra work into it because working to earn money and working to save money are pretty equal to me.

I spent several nights reading through list of money saving tips and ideas while knitting.

Sadly, I discovered that everything on these lists short of living in an RV or my van, I've done or do.

I have no cable, no internet, no gym membership.

I don't eat out, buy $5 coffees, or use paper products.

I'm frugal. I put effort into it. But I still want (and at this point, need) to cut my budget lower.

So I began brainstorming once more for my own ideas.

I came up with a few ideas to implement over time and a few more ideas to cut my grocery budget (that $200 a month goal takes effort!)

The first idea I decided to run with was air drying the laundry.

Sure, I line dry during nice weather, but this Oregon. We're known for rain and rain and more rain. So I've still been using the dryer a lot.

Not using the dryer saves me about $30 a month, or $360 a year! And that's just on electricity, if we added in the savings because clothes last longer and require less mending we'd probably be closer to $500 a year!

I'm on day 2 of not using the dryer at all, and the day before those 2 days I only ran the diapers through the dryer because it was urgent.

I even unplugged the dryer.

I'm determined to make it to the end of the month without putting another load in the dryer.

What are some extreme ways to be frugal that you have tried?

Never Forget

Forgetting happens.

I've forgotten where I placed something.

Forgotten the date.

Forgotten groceries in the van.

Even forgotten which name I bestowed on which child.

Forgetting happens.

But we should never forget the testimony of what the Lord has done in our lives. We should never forget to give Him the glory every time, all the time and as often as possible.

I was reminded today that I often lose sight if what He's done and only see how far I have to go. My faults and short comings are readily apparent to me, but remembering where I was hurts. It requires remembering things I'd rather forget.

But God didn't bring me through so much so that I can hide away what used to be and pretend my life has always been puppies and rainbows. He brought me through some of the worst times in my life so I could share the wonder and awe and magnitude of His power and glory and mercy with others.

Four and a half years ago God took a selfish, lazy, suicidal, alcoholic, drug addicted sinner who had very little in the way of morals and showed her how broken she was. He showed me just how much I needed help, the kind of life changing help only He can provide!

Two years later when my husband walked out, my life was in shambles. I was pregnant with number 6, homeless, jobless, scared and broken. In these last 2 years God has provided so many things to me that felt so far out of reach. A home that I'm buying, a van that's paid off, means to reach toward self sufficiency, comfort and completeness in the trust of His word and plans for my life. Things I couldn't have gotten on my own.

If God can take my life, in its supreme brokenness and lift me up to where I've come, how can anyone doubt His power and goodness?

Goals: February Summary

I didn't reach all my mini-goals for this month, not by a long shot. But I'm okay with that because I made progress anyway and I learned what I'm able (and not able) to do in one months time as I'm adding more work to my schedule.

1. Read the bible and 4 other books
I am on track with my bible reading plan, finished the devotional I was reading, read an entire book and started a new book and a new devotional.

2. Take a meal to one family/person a week
I failed big time on this one this month. Between kids getting stomach flu and other life events, I let this one slip through my fingers and only managed 1 week out of 4.

3. Get off TANF
I got another babysitting job and several leads. I surpassed my income goal for this month.

4. Grow or produce most of our food: grocery goal budget is $200 or less
I have $1.45 left in this months grocery budget. We planted wheat grass in a window box for out smoothies. The terrarium is planted with spinach and kale for salads and smoothies and should produce year round if I plan it right! We put together 2 potato towers, one outside and one in the greenhouse to see how both options work for us.

5. Get involved in another ministry at church
I failed at this one as well.

6. Work on house: paint interior, replace carpet, upgrade some insulation
I got the accent wall in the living room painted and the entire laundry room, I decided not to paint the cabinets. Got an estimate and consultation on insulation options that I'll need to consider. Looked under the carpet in the kids rooms: girls have sub floor but the boys have vinyl flooring that may be salvageable, not beautiful but better than the carpet. I did not get the main part of the living room painted.

7. Build up stock for craft fairs: completely 10 projects a month, not including orders
Projects completed: 0 stock but all except 2 orders are done.
Projects to completed: 1 blanket, 3 plarn bags, 6 dishcloths

8. Eat better: more organic, no soy, mostly GF, less sugar
All new incoming food continues to be organic and I brought in nothing with soy, which was easy since we consume so little anyway. The pantry got cleaned out and most the wheat flour is gone.

9. Stop smoking
11 smoke free days and smoked less on the days I did. My longest smoke free streak was 5 days.

10. Expand animals and their housing: 3 ducklings, 1 goat pen
I added an adorable new goat, a doe named Butterscotch. We also added 8 chicks (a few more than planned), we got 5 cuckoo marans, 2 molted java and a speckled Sussex. I've also decided not to expand the number of rabbits I have due to other income streams that have come my way and the time commitment. I got 3 out of 5 rabbit cages finished.

Here we go again!

It's a new month!
Another chance to reach my goals!

Here are my mini goals for this month to help reach all these goals before the year ends.

1. Read the bible and 4 other books
I will keep up with my bible reading plan, finish the devotional I'm reading and start a new book.

2. Take a meal to one family/person a week
Pick families and get it done... I need to plan ahead a bit better this month.

3. Get off TANF
I'm waiting to hear back from a job interview from Friday. I have set my income goal for this month at double last money's goal, let's see how this goes!

4. Grow or produce most of our food: grocery goal budget is $200 or less
This month's grocery goal is $350. I also want to get a potato tower started and get the terrarium planted with salad greens.

5. Get involved in another ministry at church
I'm going to see if I can get a regular nursery position instead of just subbing.

6. Work on house: paint interior, replace carpet, upgrade some insulation
This month I want to paint the laundry room and cabinets, paint the living room, price consultation and peek under the carpet in the kids rooms to see what I find.

7. Build up stock for craft fairs: completely 10 projects a month, not including orders
Projects to completely: 1 blanket, 3 plarn bags, 6 dishcloths

8. Eat better: more organic, no soy, mostly GF, less sugar
All new incoming food will be continue to be organic. I'm going to cut the soy completely this month. I also need to clean the pantry, which may rid me of all the wheat flour out there.

9. Stop smoking
Hopefully I'll kick the habit this month. But minimum I want 10 smoke-free days.

10. Expand animals and their housing: add 1 goat, 3 ducklings, 3 chickens, 8 rabbits, 1 goat pens, custom rabbit cages
I'll add one more goat and finish the rabbit cages this month.

I keep aiming high, over all and monthly. Yet I keep meeting and exceedingly my goals, so here we go!

Too Real

I love blogs.

I follow many for many reasons.

A recent post from one has hit my heart... in a convicting way.

I have come to a place of being overly "real" and "comfortable" with the level of mess in my house.

Is my house going to be perfection? Not a chance!

I'm human.

I have 6 kids and over 60 animals.

I work.

I homeschool.

And, honestly, housekeeping doesn't come naturally to me.

Most of that is obvious (maybe not the last one, I'm not sure.) I don't think anyone walks into my home expecting it to look like a page from Pottery Barn. If they do, they don't know me well!

But! I have entered a place in my heart where the grace people afford me for all the hindrances to housekeeping perfection have been taken advantage of.

Could I have a cleaner home? A more organized home? A home that didn't make me panic when company says they're coming in an hour?

Yes. I know this because I log an ungodly number of hours on Facebook and Pinterest and playing games on my phone (the games are a habit I've ended by deleting them.)

Those things do not bring glory to the Lord. The way I've kept stewardship of my home lately certainly isn't glorifying the Lord. And this is not okay!

Facebook, Pinterest and games aren't wrong or evil on their own. It's where our hearts place them that can create the problem.

As a result I'm going to be cleaning, purging and organizing a great deal in the coming weeks and its going to feel far more amazing than any game of candy crush ever would.

Goals: January Summary

I didn't do too bad for January, but there is definitely room for improvement!

1. Read the bible and 4 other books
I'm on track with my bible reading plan and began a devotional book given to me by a friend before she moved.

2. Take a meal to one family/person a week
Successfully delivered meals 3 out of 4 weeks.

3. Get off TANF
I secured another part time babysitting job. Combined with everything else, I actually exceeded my income goal for this month!

4. Grow or produce most of our food: grocery goal budget is $200 or less
I planned the garden and checked out what seeds I have and what I need.
The grand totally for groceries this month was $480, a lot more than the $200 goal!

5. Get involved in another ministry at church
No progress at this point. I have told people I want to be more involved but I haven't actively pursued anything yet.

6. Work on house: paint interior, replace carpet, upgrade some insulation
Painted the bathroom, found paint for all the bedrooms and the accent wall in the living room.

7. Build up stock for craft fairs: completely 10 projects a month, not including orders
Only managed 7.5 projects.

8. Eat better: more organic, no soy, mostly GF, less sugar
All new food brought in was organic, but beyond that not much improvement.

9. Stop smoking
I cut back and actually had 4 non-smoking days this month! Lots of room for improvement, but it's a start.

10. Expand animals and their housing: add 1 goat, 3 ducklings, 3 chickens, 13 rabbits, 2 goat pens, custom rabbit cages
Completed 1 goat pen and worked on cages. I have 5 rabbits I'll be keeping from litters that just weaned.

I still have a long way to go but that's not a bad start!

Let the planning begin!

I look forward to my garden.

It brings me joy.

It's a great learning activity with the kids.

It provides quality food at the best cost ever, FREE. Well, almost free.

I've started planning this year's garden because I can't wait!

So far plans include...

Planting 2 apple trees and 2 blueberry plants.

Out front I'll add several herbs, many pickling cucumbers and another raspberry plant.

In the back I'll be planting pumpkins, carrots, spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, peas, beans, yams, potatoes, watermelons, brandished and lots of tomatoes.

I'm still not sure where to fit in corn and strawberries.

I not only look forward to planting and tending, but finding creative ways to grow the most I can on my small piece of land, putting up food for the year and determining how to add more next year!

Somedays...

There are some moments as a mom that you know they're coming.

You know they're going to be bad.

You know they're normal too.

I got one of those tonight.

Sunday nights 5 of my 6 munchkins go to "big church" with me. They sing the songs they know and fake the ones they don't. Rather joyfully shake the hands of most any member of our church family. Excitedly drop their coins in the offering plate when we have any. They sit in the pew beside me with their note pads and "take notes" like mama.

Usually.

Except not tonight.

It was Emmi's second Sunday night in "big church" and she hadn't napped. The new had worn off for her and she feared holding still or else she'd fall asleep!

By the time pastor was starting his sermon, I knew.

I collected up kids and coats and crayons and took them to the foyer.

A year ago, I would have been embaressed beyond belief!

Now I realize something. I have no reason to be embaressed.

Kids have good and bad days.

Kids learn by doing and testing.

Moms aren't prefect.

Everybody doesn't always get the nap they need.

But mostly, everyone in that room would rather see me walk my kids to the foyer than know I didn't come. Because they care about us and they love the Lord.

And anyone who would rather I had kept them home and skipped service, I pray for you. I hope you search your heart. Those children you view as a problem in the next pew are the future generation of the church! Don't scowl at the tired mother, smile at her. She feels defeated enough.

Better yet, after service, give that mama a hug and remind her she's going good. It will make a world of difference for her!

New Goals for a New Year!

Every year for the last 4 years I have set 10 goals for the new year.

I have never reached all 10 goals. I've always achieved 6-8 of them and made progress on the rest.

This year I've aimed higher than ever, yet I also have this overwhelming sense that I am going to reach each and every goal this year.

Maybe it's because I set clearer goals. Maybe it's because I have set mini monthly goals to get me there. Maybe it's because I got rid of the goal to shed 20 pounds (clearly that 20 pounds likes were it's at and I don't dislike it enough to really do anything about it.) Maybe it's because none of the goals are "the big one" (i.e. moving, give birth, husband come home alive.) Maybe it's that I've reached out and several wonderful friends have offered to be my accountability people, it's not just me.

Maybe it's a little bit of all of it.

This year feels different. The goals are more challenging and bigger than ever, but I feel certain that each goal will be met!

For those who wish to follow along on my journey to accomplish these goals, the list is at the end of the post and I'm going to update at least once a month on my progress every month.

Here they are...

1. Read the bible and 4 other books (I did the bible and 3 books last year)
2. Take a meal to one family/person a week (was a monthly thing last year)
3. Get off TANF (last year I got off WIC and increased my income)
4. Grow or produce most of our food: grocery goal budget is $200 or less (last years budget goal was to pay off the van)
5. Get involved in another ministry at church (last years goal was the same, but I'd like to be more involved than just subing in the nursery)
6. Work on house: paint interior, replace carpet, upgrade some insulation (last years housing goal was to move out of the scary apartments!)
7. Build up stock for craft fairs: completely 10 projects a month, not including orders (last years was to complete a project every month)
8. Eat better: more organic, no soy, mostly GF, less sugar (I had no food goals for 2013, just weight goals)
9. Stop smoking... yes, I know... (repeat goal)
10. Expand animals and their housing: add 1 goat, 3 ducklings, 3 chickens, 13 rabbits, 2 goat pens, custom rabbit cages (no animal related goals in 2013)