Monday night we had ones of those shocking experiences…we were soundly sleeping in bed when we bulted upright at the sound of a large crash and broken glass at 3:30 in the morning. Do you know what thoughts were going through my head? Someone is breaking into our house!!!! Grab the babe and run!!
Archive | January, 2008
Simple Living: Quotes
Live simply that others might simply live. ~Elizabeth Seaton
The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. ~Hans Hofmann
Eliminate physical clutter. More importantly, eliminate spiritual clutter. ~D.H. Mondfleur
We don’t need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants. Not wanting something is as good as possessing it. ~Donald Horban
Cloth Diapering: Is it worth it?
Karis in her BumGenius!
Cloth diapers! There are so many cute diapers out there now and it’s so simple! No dunking necessary! Why in the world would I pursue this route? My main reason for cloth diapering was so I could spend more of our budget on good wholesome food (prioritizing my spending). But there are several other benefits…
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Frugal Valentine Ideas
Valentine’s Day should be like any other day…but then again, it is a good reminder to get a little more creative this time around! I love expressing my appreciation to my hubby, but being that creativity is not my forte, I need help! How can we express our love in a simple, frugal and most importantly, meaningful way?
Here are a few ideas from our household…
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More Desserts: Nutritiously Delicious!
More nutritious desserts that won’t kill you! I wish I had pictures, but alas, you will just have to take my word for it, these are good! Don’t you love the thought of making good wholesome desserts? I sure do…that is why I am always experimenting with recipes and tweaking them to make them healthy!
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Simple Living – Part 2: The Pilgrim Mentality
Check out the intro and part 1 of this series.
“A wealthy plantation owner invited John Wesley to his home. The two rode their horses all day, seeing just a fraction of all the man owned. At the end of the day, the plantation owner proudly asked, ‘Well, Mr. Wesley, what do you think?’ After a moment’s silence, Wesley replied, ‘I think you’re going to have a hard time leaving all this.”
~ Retold in Randy Alcorn’s, Money, Possessions & Eternity
The question is, are we living in such a way that this world or the next is our home? Where are my attachments? Am I accumulating assets for this life or the life to come?
Making Wholesome Baby Food
I am sure all of you are way ahead of me in this area, but I am in the learning process of making my own baby food for Karis. This week I was evaluating if the extra work was really worth it. The convenience of buying prepared baby food in the jars is so tempting for me. Earth’s Best has organic baby food! I have proven that it is indeed true.
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More Benefits and Sources for Coconut Oil
Mountain Rose Herbs is a wonderfully superior source of organic unrefined and refined coconut oil, and at the best price around! At $41 per gallon, it is significantly cheaper than even Azure Standard (which is around $34 for 1/2 gallon). If you are interested in hearing more about this excellent oil and its multiple uses, check out these posts.
Natural Body Products on A Budget
Many Health Benefits of Coconut Oil – this is a post by Stephanie’s mom-in-law!
I have greatly been enjoying the use of this product! Lately, I started using it in replacement of lotion. A little dab will do you! But it is wonderful for the skin and hair. I apply it directly to my hair as a conditioner of sorts after getting out of the shower. In eating, I use it to stir-fry, grease my pans (as it is a more solid substance), throw it in smoothies, use it in replacement of oil or butter at times in my baking (usually half and half) and whatever else I can think of! Today I made pancakes and applied it liberally on the pan (more than usual) to prevent sticking…it added a wonderful flavor. Aaron loved it! Normally, you can hardly taste a difference, that is why it works so well!
Nutritional Eating on a Budget
Why do we think it is impossible to live nutritiously and organically on a budget? It is because we are buying everything in a box or can! These pre-made packages of so called “organic” goodness are not as healthy as I originally thought and they jack up the food budget. The simple solution: make them yourself! It really is not as hard as you think.
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Our Journey to Simple Living – Part 1
Giving by Simple Living
Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ~Matthew 6:19-21
My Papa has always been a very visionary man and a whole-hearted self-employed entrepreneur. He went through a few very difficult business failures before I was born and when I was young, although I was oblivious. God provided everything we needed. We ate very simply, but we did not need much to be happy…definitely not a message this world sends out, but it is true. When you have little, you are satisfied with little, if you have the love of a wonderful family around you (at least this seems to be the view from a child’s perspective).