My Word For the Year

I have decided to pick a word to focus on for this new year instead of a bunch of lofty resolutions that I will likely not keep. This word is PEACE.

I want PEACE in all areas of my life: in my spiritual quietness, in my home clutter, in my finances, in my children, in my community, in my friendships, in my marriage, in me, period. This means that with all decsions this year I will think, "Will it provide me/my family PEACE?" If the answer is no, it has to go! If the answer is maybe, I will stop and wait awhile. If the answer is yes, you can't stop me from racing towards it!

With so much uncertainity in our lives, collecting unemployment, on a multi-state job hunt, and the like, the thing I crave the most is PEACE. Worry is not an invited guest in this home. He has been kicked to the curb.

I have watched God provide time and time again over the last 3 months. We have been blessed with lots of laughter, times of teaching, reconnecting with each other, friends who pray with us, food in abundance, and tears of joy. The bills are all paid in full. No one is hungry. God is good.

So this year, as I reflect on PEACE in all (even miniscule) areas of my life, I challenge you: What word or phrase can you reflect on in 2012? Could it be SIMPLIFY? TRUST? PRAISE? CONTENT? GROWTH? Your word is and will be as unique as you are - a precious child who our Maker delights in. He sings over you now.

"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you." Isaiah 26:3

Using My Stockpile and Savoring Our Time

Just a quick update: My hubby (for various reasons) is on what we are calling his "mini-retirement". I have been so very grateful for our stockpile of food and health & beauty during this time as we are NOT on any form of government assistance. I love that our bills are paid, our tummies are full, and we are having some extra-special Daddy time during this season of our lives. It is likely that this mini-retirement will not last very long, so we are appreciating it and each other while it lasts.

God is good, all the time.

And, my stockpile ROCKS! :)

We Have Liftoff!

School has started. We just finished our first week. Now, for a weekend. But, that will involve soccer, church, and all the stuff I can't seem to get done around the house while school is in session. This Mama is pooped. Right now I think I'll start summer by napping and snuggling with my star students. :)

Filing my coupons will have to wait until tomorrow.

Back To School

For many of us, it has officially arrived. I now have a first grader and a kindergartner. WOW! Time flies, doesn't it? Here are some tips that I wanted to share for back-to-school:

1. Shop the loss leaders on supplies. Check Staples and Office Max every single week. Or take those ads and price match at WalMart.

2. A new backpack is not necessary every year. If you buy a quality backpack (such as Jansport) you will use it for years. I've had mine since 1996 and its still going strong!

3. Do the combo sales at Meijer. Buy groceries that you need and get basic ata discounted rate. This week is tennis shoes and Hanes products. They just had a Fruit of the Loom promo as well.

4. Wait on the fall clothes. You don't need them now. They will go on sale later. The stores are counting on you to buy those jeans and hoodies now. If you wait until October, you will score them at a better price.

5. Set a budget. Give your child the cash for their supplies. Let them decide how to spend it. Do they really need the Jonas brothers folder or would they rather have a cool lunchbox?

Enjoy this time!

Garden Bounty Recipe

Our garden has really done well with green beans this year. Here is one of our favorite bean recipes that uses the crock pot. No oven or stove! :)

1-2# Smoked Skinless Turkey Sausage
2-4 white potatoes
1-2# fresh green beans
1 can chicken broth


Snap and clean beans. Mix with peeled, diced potatoes in the bottom of the crock pot. Slice sausage over the top. Pour on can of chicken broth. Cook HIGH for 4 hours for al dente beans, 6 hours for soft beans. Enjoy with sprinkle of cheddar cheese on the top.

YUM!

New Adventures

Just to let you know, I am embarking on a new adventure...I am now an Independent Scentsy Consultant! I have used the products for over a year and fell in love with them - this is seriously the only thing that I have ever considered selling (after that BAD newlywed stint with Watkins...)

If you'd like to check out my website, please do. You can find me HERE. Also, friends, I would appreciate your prayers as I start this new business. My plan is to help our family pay down some more student debt with this business so my husband can go back to school for his doctorate. I support his choice for higher education, know that this is a dream for him, and want to do my part to make it possible.

So, in addition to being a homeschooling mama, blogger, Christ follower, spouse, and friend - I am now wearing the hat of "Independent Scentsy Consultant."

Pray, pray, pray :)

Top Ten Reasons Our Garage Sale Was Successful

We just finished a weekend garage sale here and we met our goal! I thought I'd take a few minutes to share with you the reasons that I believe our sale was successful.

10. It was organized. I organized each table by category. We had a kitchen area, toy area, clothing area, etc.

9. My items were clean. I took out a tub of clorox wipes and periodically cleaned off dust and grime on items that were for sale.

8. We kept great business hours without getting overwhelmed. We were only open from 9-3 on Friday and 9-noon on Saturday. This was adequate time to sell and gave us plenty of time to rest and rejuvenate.

7. We had a great location. We live on a busy street. We get a LOT of drive-by traffic. If we didn't live here, I would have went somewhere else.

6. We had a FREE box. It was nice to be able to give away some items for free and it helped boost everyone's morale.

5. Multiple families participated. The more families, the more stuff, and the bigger the sale!

4. We had a set 1/2 price time. On Saturday at 10:00, everything that was left went to 1/2 price and boy - did it fly out of my garage!

3. We had great signs. We used bright marker colors, attached balloons, and wrote in large letters. The other great thing was using old candidate signage to staple our signs on, so that they could go in the ground easily.

2. We had refreshments that went to a good cause. Who can resist lemonade from a kid who donates to the food pantry? This stand helped people linger longer and we met some real nice folks :)

1. We always had adequate help. There was a minimum of 2 adults present at all times. We could tag team customers and even help carry items to cars. No one felt ignored.

All in all, this was one of our most successful sales to date. Hope these tips help you when you plan your next garage sale.