Ode to the Salvage Store

I was looking at these biscuit mixes just a few weeks ago at Kroger, and they ran almost $8 for a box that makes 16 biscuits. Passed them up, and found them for $.75!!!!

These pretzels are a treat, since they run almost $8 a bag! But, at the Salvage Store, I paid $.75, and they are not expired!

Retail price...$3? I paid $.50!

Ah! The Salvage Store. How would I stretch my grocery budget without you? If you don't know about salvage grocery stores-you should. If you are too persnickety to go to them...that's fine..more for my friends and I. :) I've shopped them for years, and have nary had a problem. Most of what I buy is not even expired. If it is, it's more than likely "best used by.." and I don't like to go more than a couple months over the date, depending on the item.

I was introduced to a new ss yesterday by my friend, Renita. Ah! It has now become one of my favorites. Cari Chase, we have SO many up here...you must come soon! :) Here's what I got for $50:

(2) 14 oz. pkgs. Hillshire Farms Beer Brats

(2) 14 oz. pkgs. Hillshire farms Turkey Lil' Smokies

(2) 16 oz. rolls Jimmy Dean Maple Sausage

(10) 1 oz. bags Pirate Booty

(4) 5.25 oz. bags David Sunflower Seeds

8 pack Apple and Eve Fruitables Juice Boxes

4 pack Dole Mandarin Orange cups in 100% juice

1 pkg. (5 bars) Cascadian Farms Sweet and Salty Granola Bars

(2) 6 oz. boxes Late July Organice Crackers

14.1 oz. bag Glutino Gluten Free Pretzels

1 pkg. Atkins Caramel Nut Chew Bars

12 oz. Bear Naked Heavenly Chocolate Granola

10 pkgs. sugar free gum (Trident, Orbit, and Dentyne)

3.17 oz bar Ghirardelli 86% Chocolate

Ziploc Bags, Gallon size, Freezer (38 bags)

(2) Full Circle (28 oz.) Eco Friendly Dish Detergent

35.3 oz. bottle Eco Store Pure Oxygen Whitener (for clothing)

(2) 24 oz. Full Circle Eco-Friendly Toilet Bowl Cleaner

(3) 7.25 oz. Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Macaroni and Cheese boxes

15 oz. Organic Muir Glen Pizza Sauce

(2) 17.76 oz. 1-2-3 Gluten Free Light and Fluffy Biscuit Mixes

(2) 18.5 oz. Progresso Soups

14 oz. Gluten Free Thai Kitchen Stir Fry Rice Noodles

16 oz. Hidden Valley Farmhouse Originals Dressing, Caesar

12 oz. Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard

2.4 oz. Mediterranean Organic Wild Capers (original price-$4.09..I paid $0.75!)

(3) 5.8 oz. Gaea Organic Pitted Kalamata Olives

5 oz. Starkist Chunk Light Tuna in Water

32 oz. Lundberg Organic Golden Rose Brown Rice

16 oz. Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Bread Mix

16 oz. Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix

16 oz. Gluten Free Pantry Pancake and Waffle Mix

(2) 16 oz. Pamela's Gluten Free Chocolate Brownie Mixes

1 pkg. Envirokidz Crispy Rice Bars, organic

**The Above Five Items cost me $5.85 total. I bought them for a friend. If I had bought them full retail at the grocery store, they alone would have run me over $35!!

Organizing My Life-Flour Drawer (before and after)

Continuing with my "re/organizing my home in my spare time" theme, I now take you to my "flour drawer." I have an old antique hutch-a sort of 'hoosier cabinet' that came from my parents. They bought it when I was a teenager and I claimed it would one day be passed down to me. :) I have always loved this piece of furniture, and here in our rental, it came in handy, as there is not much cabinet space.

One thing I use this piece for is my flour(s). Since being diagnosed with a gluten intolerance, my flour numbers have gone up! I used to have a few blends, now I have..like...127. (or so it seems) Til now, my best organization has been ziploc bags...as you can see below, that wasn't working for me. When I'd go to bake and need a certain type of flour, I had to lift out every bag, and then see if I could read the bag label (due to flour leaking out of said bag inside ziploc bag). It was time for a change...

Some ball mason jars, a label maker-that I love, and just about a half hour later, and ta-da!!! (bottom layer of drawer)

Final shot of my drawer below. (I ran out of big enough jars for a few large bags of flour) Did I already say I love my label maker? I told a friend today that I'm having to keep my self from labeling everything...you know "salt, pepper, dresser, cabinet." :) But, I love how I can see, for the most part, which flour is which just at a glance. Ahhh...that job felt good!

Organizing My Life-Cash Envelope System (before and after)

One of the things I love is taking out cash each paycheck. It keeps me on budget...or should I say closer to my budget. There are some areas (like groceries), I cannot seem to stick to some weeks. I'm trying! I have used cash off and on for years, and just find that I do better when I have cash in hand-it hurts more to give it away, I know how much I have-so I make better choices, and I can say no easier.

A year or so ago, my sister gave me her Financial Peace envelopes/holder. I was excited, as I had always used various white regular envelopes filled with money, stashed in my wallet. This was a nice way to keep them all organized and held together. But, as you can see from my pictures, they wore out on me!

So, I found This Tutorial and made some new ones-during the football game the other day I "watched" with Shane (some guy named Tim Tebow was playing??) :) , and I LOVE them! They are fun and bright and might make saving money seem a little more exciting?? I don't know-maybe that's a stretch. :)


But, they are so sturdy-made out of cardstock, and I made several more "categories" to help me keep even better track of things.

My new categories are: Fun (entertainment-which usually consists of eating out once every two weeks-:) ), Haircuts (includes Beauty/Cosmetics), Date Night (currently has $1 in it!), Grocery-Bulk Foods, Grocery-milk/eggs/dairy, Grocery-bulk meat, Grocery-produce, Grocery-Misc., Grocery-Meat, Household Misc., School, Clothing, and Gifts. Now, these are just my "cash" categories, we budget the rest on paper. The lady who designed these, also sells them on Etsy pre-made here, and they are laminated! I'm sure they'd hold up for awhile! I'll let you know how long these last.

Organizing My Life-Back Room "Pantry" (after)

So, this is a follow-up to the earlier post on my back room "pantry." Here are the AFTER photos!! Now, my husband could not tell I had done anything! ha! Very observant. However, I feel like a new woman! I added two shelves that had been sitting there waiting to be added for, oh, 8 months now. :) In my reorganizing, I cleaned the shelves and I realized I had a few things I had forgotten about..or couldn't find. Myra was also excited that she could actually see what we had. I did realize that I DO NOT need any barbecue sauce, tomato sauce, or pepperocinis for awhile. :) But, it's so nice to be organized..now when I hit my "salvage stores" I know what I need to stock up on, instead of guessing. :)

However, when I was pulling these pictures off of my camera, I saw that I had moved some olives and sauerkraut on a shelf when I was organizing, and had not put them in the right spot. So, for those of you that are OCD..not mentioning names...I did put them on the right shelf AFTER the photo was taken. No need to worry! :) And, for those of you also OCD, you do not see the laundry pile in the background..and if you do, and you're my friend, you know it's a lost cause with me anyways. I will never catch up with laundry. I'm done pretending. :)

Organizing My Life-Back Room "Pantry" (before)

Well, last post I told you that I had some life changes coming up that I'd talk about later. I am now in a new season of life. After much prayer, and lots of tears, and more prayer, we decided to send our two girls to school for the first time ever. We have homeschooled since my oldest was in preschool. This was a HUGE decision for us, one that did not come easy. Long story short, I just hit a "wall." Each day was hard to face, and I felt like I needed a break...but was willing to press on, if that's what God wanted. God gave my husband and I the peace to let go for this time in our lives, and put them in school. And, wow! What a blessing it has already been. He has given them both Christian teachers, and just keeps confirming that He has this all in His hands.


One of my biggest fears was for my oldest to have a hard time finding good friends, and on her first day there, there was a girl from her Sunday school class, in her homeroom class! They bonded from that first day, and she has been a blessing to my daughter. What I did not know until tonight was that this young girl didn't want to come back to school after Christmas, because she had no Christian friends at school, and was having a rough time. That brought me to tears, that my daughter was as much an answer to her prayers as she was to ours. God is good!



We have felt blessed and surrounded with prayer. Our friends have been amazing-both those that homeschool and those that don't, and have covered our daughters in prayer. We are blessed with good friends. This is for this season of our lives. That's all we know. We have yet to see what God holds for next year, but for now, we feel very much He has a plan for all of this.



In the meantime, I'm getting a chance to just be "mom" again, and I have some time to get some things done that haven't gotten done in awhile. :) One of those things is organization. I do it, then let it go. My friend Kristen B., who was one of the most organized, clean people I know, told me years ago that you don't just organize and it stays that way-it's an ongoing process. Well, I tend to get things organized, then life happens. :) And, boy, does it happen fast. So, I have some time to go through things, get rid of stuff, reorganize. And, I'm posting my life for you!! I've had some encouragement lately from reading some blogs I enjoy-one of them is Keeper of the Home. It just gave me that 'push' to get to it. So, without further ado...this is my "pantry."



I say "pantry" because it's where I store food in my house. The house we're renting does not have a big kitchen, nor a pantry space, but we had some extra bookshelves..so, it's our pantry, located in a back room of our house.



As you can see from the below pictures, it wasn't out of control, there had been SOME attempt for organizing at some point...you CAN see that, right? :) However, there came a point when I had stuff and didn't have time to figure out where to put that extra can of tomatoes or that bag of chips. (after photos posted in next post)

Lessons from the old farmhouse

"Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home!

A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there,

Which, seek through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere.

Home, home, sweet home!

There's no place like home. "

Lessons from the old farmhouse:

1. We CAN survive without a dishwasher.

2. Being cold will NOT kill us. That's what snuggies are for. :)

3. Free range chickens are the best! We will own our own some day.

4. Being hot in the summer will NOT kill us. People did it for years. Yes, some of them died, but we did not. :)

5. Water in the basement is good...it kills the mice before they get upstairs. :)

Boohoo!

Before and After photos of the tragedy..I mean, haircut..that happened at my house tonight. :( I love those curls, but daddy said they were getting too long. sniff..sniff.. At least, he's still adorable. But, whose hair will I play with now?

"Who is that in the mirror?" :)

The Journey Ahead

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. We kept it simple and enjoyed our family (extended and immediate) and are so thankful for all God has given us in them. We realize how truly blessed we are. The delight of children make Christmas, doesn't it? I sat back this year, watching my children, seeing how they are growing so quickly, and enjoying the moments.

Well..once again, I haven't been on here in awhile. Not sure what happens to me...I suppose life and it's busy-ness, dishes, laundry, homeschooling, and sometimes..I just can't find the words to write (or the energy). This has been a good season of life, but it's had some hard times. (don't all seasons?)

Don't know why I don't write in the good and hard times..maybe I'm afraid still to be "too real." Maybe it's wisdom that keeps me from blogging in those times. :) And, truthfully, sometimes I just "crash" at night and can't move, let alone come up with enough brain cells to write! :)

We are now entering a new season of life. I'll blog about that soon..(when I get the courage?). :) Maybe when we're in that season, and I'm more at rest. But, for now, I will share what I read the other day...seemed to be a word from God for me. I took it to heart, and am doing my best to rest in it. Sometimes there is rest along our journey.

"The journey is too great for thee." (I Kings 19:7)

"And what did God do with His tired servant? Gave him something good to eat, and put him to sleep. Elijah had done splendid work, and had run alongside of the chariot in his excitement, and it had been too much for his physical strength, and the reaction had come on, and he was depressed. They physical needed to be cared for. What many people want is sleep, and the physical ailment attended to. There are grand men and women who get to where Elijah was-under the juniper tree! and it comes very soothingly to hear the words of the Master: 'The journey is too great for thee, and I am going to refresh you.' Let us not confound physical weariness with spiritual weakness."

(from Streams in the Desert)

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Conversations with my 5-year-old

This morning, I was reading my 5 year old boy his Bible story. We were reading about Jacob being tricked into marrying Leah, then working seven more years for Rachel. I asked him how he would feel about daddy having two wives. He said, "Mom, I think ants don't worship God." "Why?", I asked. "Because I think that ants have, like, a thousand wives," he said, "and also I never see ants go to church...I think they worship an ant." :)

1000 Gifts #388-448

"Oh, for more holiness! Oh, for more of God in my soul! Oh this pleasing pain! It makes my soul press after God!" (David Brainerd)


388. God allows earthly means to continue to 'fail us' so that He can show us HIS love
389. money for a library membership (since we moved out of the 'township'). This was a gift.
391. that this world does not bring me happiness, no matter how hard I keep looking
392. that He is opening my eyes, even when it's hard
393. good, tear-filled, late night talks with my husband
394. God's provision for our schoolyear
395. the sounds of Lizzie and Shane playing "wii football"
396. gluten free donuts on a Sunday morning
397. weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning
398. legos all over the floor
399. clean, folded clothes on the stairs
400. a sink full of dishes
401. crumbs on the dining room table
402. holding hands
403. that my mom and dad were instruments used to show me (and tell me) God's love for me-at a time I felt 'forsaken'
404. Robyn watching my kids when I went to the doctor
405. little ones in bathtubs
406. cuddle time in bed with the kids
407. free corn from the neighbors
408. Indiana beach trip with the kids
409. playing games with the kids
410. tears and healing
411. he holds me and tells me it's okay and he loves me
412. 'fear' is breaking
413. rainy days
414. 'life does not lie in the abundance of possessions' (the reminder from God's word for me)
415. hot showers
416. one toilet (it beats NO toilets!)
417. his strong arms
418. Myra opening her heart to me
419. a good dinner/fellowship with Jacob and Jama
420. how my children sat quietly at the bank
421. we got the shortsale paperwork done, and were accepted
422. our church
423. some sweet friendships forming
424. a quiet walk
425. the warmth of the sunshine on my skin
426. teaching my girls to crochet
427. opening doors I didn't think I wanted open
428. enough to share
429. rest for the weary
430. honesty
431. how Nehi made us laugh
432. the smell of freshly baked (GF!) orange pound cake
433. the grace to FIGHT
434. our girls making us breakfast
435. seeing my children reading
436. beautiful pain
437. a visit with our family
438. free corn, tomatoes, and zucchini from my sister
439. pinata in the rain
440. 18 pieces of clothing at Goodwill for $30
441. time with my boy at night to rub his back and tummy
442. a good conversation with my sweet mother-in-law, and the love God is restoring in that relationship
443. kids laughing
444. $1 amish-made bread to feed my kids breakfast for 2 days
445. a day out with my sister
446. more tomatoes, zucchini, and potatoes from my sister's garden
447. good sermons, not to make us 'feel good', but to make us more like Christ
448. no anxiety that day

Am I Sheltering My Child Too Much?

This article came in my inbox this morning, and I thought it was too good not to share. I hope it is okay to cut and paste this! :)

Am I Sheltering My Child Too Much?
by Gena Suarez


"Do you "shelter" your children? We're finding that's a bad word in some circles. Something is creeping into the church (and even the homeschooling community), and it isn't biblical. It is an "anti-sheltering campaign" of sorts, and it's full of holes. Think about it. What does it mean to shelter? Protect. Defend. Guard. Preserve. Watch over. Shield. Safeguard. Hmmmm, so far so good, right? Sure, until "Christian pop psychology" comes in and tells us we should allow our children to taste a little of the world in order to understand it or pray for it ... that we should not "over-shelter" them. Nonsense.

What's the opposite of shelter? Expose. Endanger. We parents are called to be like our Father in Heaven. He is the greatest "Shelterer" there ever was, and it is us He shelters - or watches over; protecting us, preserving us, shielding us. Is God missing something, here? Should He instead follow the advice of those (shamefully, some of these are even pastors!) who say to lay off a bit? Thankfully, the Lord is a bit wiser than that. Praise Him for this! Glory to God who knows how to parent (shelter) us perfectly!

May we as parents follow this model - His model. Let's continue to shelter (love) our children as He loves us. Dismiss the garbage that crawls in; don't buy it. We're promised there will be false teachers, liars in the church (and there are many). I want to keep my eyes focused on Christ, come what may.

By the way, someone once shared with me that when it comes to parenting, she would rather err on the side of being a little too careful/sheltering than to err on the wrong side. Paul and I agree wholeheartedly with this. We would prefer to be a tad "too" protective than to make a major mistake we can't take back once it's done. We've learned some hard lessons over the years.

And as our kids get much older, as we see the Truth in them growing as they take on their own relationship with the Lord, complete with Godly convictions, we can loosen up the reins a little. There's no set formula for this, though, so don't let anyone try and give you one. You know your children better than anyone, and can assess their maturity in the Lord best....But again, be careful. Do it slowly and if you're going to "go overboard", do so on the conservative end. Don't err on the wrong side.

And just to be clear, this doesn't mean to stop sheltering them. During the short time we have them, we have a responsibility to protect them and to guard them against ungodly influences and worldly displays the best we can. The wisest thing we can do right now is to soak them in God's word. Pour it into their hearts. Train them up in His ways so that as they get older and begin to leave the nest, they walk in Truth and can go out and start families, bringing their own children up (tightly to their hips) in the love and admonition of their Lord.

May your sweet children rise up and call you blessed for your faithfulness and hard work in raising them up in Christ. It's not easy, it's often thankless (for years), and you can fall into doubts, especially when you come up against a whining 14 or 16 year old who wants his way (and wants YOU out of his way). Don't give into the doubts; that's a trap. Rather, lovingly stand firm. God stands firmly beside us, sheltering us. May we do the same for our children.

"Glory to God who knows how to parent (shelter) us perfectly!"
Parents: Keep sheltering them. You are bringing them up in the love and admonition of the Lord, not in the latest "homeschool philosophy." God's word trumps any speaker! It dwarfs any author! May you be blessed as you continue to walk in obedience of His word.

Lord, thank you for sheltering me. Please never stop. "Over-shelter" if You will (if there is such a thing). Fine with me!

Over-protect, over-defend, over-guard me; please do! I'll take it all, Lord. Keep me tight to Your side. I'm safe in that place. There, I can breathe and thrive. It's where I find my hope in Christ.

For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. - Psalms 61:3

Action point: Do you need to repent to someone today for looking down on (judging) them? Have you been a thorn in another parent's side over this issue? Who have you scolded or cryptically "spoken to" about their "overbearance" in regards to their own children? It might be time to humbly pick up the phone or shoot off an email.


Parents who strongly shelter their children are to be praised, not made to feel inadequate or odd. That's the world lying to us, there.

And this world is not our home. "


Paul and Gena Suarez reside in beautiful eastern Tennessee, where they homeschool(ed) their six children: Paul (21), Luke (19), Levi (17), Julia Rachel (14), Susanna Hope (3) and Chloe Abigail (18 months). They enjoy long country drives in the van while listening to books on CD, hanging out with good friends, and staying up late. By the grace of God, the Suarez family publishes The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC.

______________________

R.C. Sproul, Jr. says it so well.." Clearly there is an appropriate kind of sheltering. When those who are opposed to homeschooling accuse me of sheltering my children, my reply is always, 'What are you going to accuse me of next, feeding and clothing them?'...One of the most compelling arguments I've ever heard for homeschooling is this one given against it: 'My child will rebel if I homeschool him.' The solution for parents who have lost control is never to give up more control. That our children identify more with a circle of friends, a peer group, than they do with our family is the problem, not the solution. If your daughter is more committed to this alternative family of her friends down at the mall, she needs to be removed from that family, and brought back into the repentant family that allowed things to get this far."
______________

New Schoolroom Curtains

In our rental home, we are blessed to have an extra room for our schoolroom. However, it's the room you have to enter our house through (not good, since it's not always 'neat'). And, it's all pine, so while it's cozy, it's a bit dark sometimes. So, we decided to give the room some color. (I must add that part of this was due to being at my friend, Meg's, house and seeing how she made her schoolroom bright and cheery-made me realize how 'dull' ours was-not very inspiring). So, we headed out to the fabric store a couple weeks ago and-miracle of miracles-my children ALL decided on one fabric! I'm not sure they have ever been able to agree on anything prior to this. :) It's such a fun fabric. I'm hoping, down the road, to make some chair cushions with some coordinating fabric. For now, I am enjoying our little owl curtains. :)

Break in the Day (Dance your pants off!)

We were in the middle of our first day of school yesterday and needed a break! So, we put on some music and danced til we were too tired to dance anymore! :) Sometimes, you just have to dance. :)

First Day of School 2011 (part 2)

First Day of School August 2011

"How was your first day of school?"

Lizzie-"Awesome! I loved it, but I don't like math."

Myra-"Okay. I'm tired."

First Day of Kindergarten 2011

Mom-"How was your first day of school?"

My Boy-"Nice! I thought it wouldn't be fun, but it was awesome." :)

Today was the first day of the 2011-2012 school year for us. First day of kindergarten for the boy. Honestly, I was a bit anxious about "starting all over" again this year. I mean, my oldest has made it to sixth grade-our eighth year of homeschooling-and the thought of starting all over was a bit overwhelming to me. However, I must say it was so much fun today with him! The little crafts, the fun books. A different pace. He has been sick the last four days, running a high fever, but in between Tylenol doses, he had some energy and did really well. Poor baby! :) We may have to take tomorrow off and go to the doctor. Here's a few pictures from our first day.

We didn't have peppercorns, so we used cloves! They worked!

"A is for Astronaut", so we made a rocket ship with pictures of things that start with A!

When Sorrow and Joy Meet

I'm sitting here this morning, not at church, because my sweet boy has had a fever and cough the past few days. It's a precious time in a mother's life, to take care of your sick little ones. I'd rather them not be sick, mind you, but there is something about comforting a sick little one, holding them in your arms, tenderly nurturing them. It always makes me realize what affection I have for my children, and what a blessing they are.

This post has nothing to do, really, with my son being sick, but since I'm home, it does give me a chance to post. I read this yesterday in Streams In the Desert, a devotional I have read day by day for the last 17 years, (I never tire of it) and I thought it was such a beautiful reminder to us that I wanted to share.

2 Corinthians 6:10 "As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing."

"Sorrow was beautiful, but her beauty was the beauty of the moonlight shining through the leafy branches of the trees in the wood, and making little pools of silver here and there on the soft green moss below.


When sorrow sang, her notes were like the low sweet call of the nightingale, and in her eyes was the unexpectant gaze of one who has ceased to look for coming gladness. She could weep in tender sympathy with those who weep, but to rejoice with those who rejoice was unknown to her.

Joy was beautiful, too, but his was the radiant beauty of the summer morning. His eyes still held the glad laughter of childhood, and his hair had the glint of the sunshine's kiss. When Joy sang his voice soared upward as the lark's, and his step was the step of a conqueror who has never known defeat. He could rejoice with all who rejoice, but to weep with those who weep was unknown to him.


'But we can never be united,' said Sorrow wistfully.

'No, never.' And Joy's eyes shadowed as he spoke. 'My path lies through the sunlit meadows, and the sweetest roses bloom for my gathering, and the blackbirds and thrushes await my coming to pour forth their most joyous lays.'

'My path,' said Sorrow, turning slowly away,'leads through the darkening woods, with moon-flowers only shall my hands be filled. Yet the sweetest of all earth-songs-the love song of the night-shall be mine; farewell, Joy, farewell.'

Even as she spoke they became conscious of a form standing beside them; dimly seen, but of a Kingly Presence, and a great and holy awe stole over them as they sank on their knees before Him.

'I see Him as the King of Joy,' whispered Sorrow, ' for on His Head are many crowns, and the nailprints in His hands and feet are the scars of great victory. Before Him all my sorrow is melting away into deathless love and gladness, and I give myself to Him forever.'

'Nay, Sorrow,' said Joy softly,'but I see Him as the King of Sorrow, and the crown on His head is a crown of thorns and nailprints in His hands and feet are the scars of a great agony. I, too, give myself to Him forever, for sorrow with Him must be the sweeter than any joy I have ever known.'

'Then we are one in Him,' they cried in gladness,' for none but He could unite Joy and Sorrow.'

Hand in hand they passed out into the world to follow Him through storm and sunshine, in the bleakness of winter cold and the warmth of summer gladness, 'as sorrowful yet always rejoicing.'