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Frugal Fridays: Free dates
 My apologies for skipping Frugal Fridays here last week. I was out of town and meant to post a notice that we were taking the week off and completely forgot. Can I blame that on preggo brain?Good marriages don't just happen; they must constantly be worked at, worked on, and encouraged along. One thing which I strongly believe helps keep a marriage strong and healthy is regular times of refreshment - times to just enjoy one another, have fun, talk, share your hearts and dreams and struggles, and just be together away from the normal hustle and bustle of life. Oftentimes, when someone thinks of a date with their spouse, you imagine it costing $25 or more. And if you want to have a weekly date, those $25 occasions can really start adding up. However, it doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg to have weekly or monthly dates. In fact, if you're really creative, it doesn't have to cost you anything. Here are some cheap date ideas we've used to save ourselves hundreds of dollars while still keeping the spark alive in our marriage... Eliminate babysitting expenses - This can be one of the most expensive costs of all when it comes to planning a date night. Start thinking outside the box when it comes to babysitting and you'll soon find you might not ever need to pay a babysitter again. How about swapping babysitting with a few families you are close with, each of babysitting once a month or so for another family and, in exchange, receiving babysitting services for your own children once a month. Or, how about bartering for babysitting? Maybe you could teach a young lady from your church a skill you know in exchange for her being willing to babysit for you. One of my favorite options and one we often do, is to put Kathrynne to bed early and then we'll have a few hours set aside for a "date" at home. This won't work too well if you have older children, but by then, hopefully they'll be able to babysit for you and then you'll never need paid babysitters again anyway! **If I can just make a sidenote here to those of you who are unmarried - Have you considered the gift you can give to married couples of babysitting their children free of charge so they can have a date night? I often babysat when I was younger and one of my policies was that I never accepted pay for a couple to have a date night. It was payment enough to see the refreshed faces of a couple who came home to a clean house and sleeping children after a few hours out together. Utilize free forms of "entertainment" - One of our favorite dates is a library date or a bookstore date. We head to the library or bookstore and just peruse the shelves and stop to read for awhile. Often, the books we're browsing will serve as a great springboard for a wonderful discussion. For the past few years, I've been a member of MyPoints - a free program which awards you points for reading emails, online purchases, and some surveys. I rarely purchase anything online, but I can take a few minutes per week to earn points reading emails - this is something easy to do when you're on the phone or otherwise multi-tasking. In a few month's time, I can have enough points earned to buy a $5 gift card to a local bookstore such as Barnes and Nobles. We'll use that for a special treat - buy a coffee or latte to share while we browse the books. A free $5 card can last for two dates this way!
Fun free "dates" for colder months - Go to the mall and just browse. Don't bring any money or credit/debit cards and you won't be tempted to buy! Check out an old movie at the library, put the children to bed early, pop some popcorn or bake cookies with frozen cookie dough, make some tea or cocoa, and snuggle on the couch together and enjoy the movie. Take turns reading aloud from a book while sipping fresh-brewed coffee. Bake cookies together and then clean up the kitchen. Play a board game or card game. (Jesse and I spent many fun evenings playing Phase 10 when we were first married. We also tried chess, but he got so good that he started beating me at it, so we had to give that up!) Fun free dates for warmer months - Go to the park and just walk and talk and enjoy breathing in the fresh air and beautiful scenery. Pack a picnic or bring some freshly-made lemonade and watermelon. Take a bike ride. Play catch. Learn how to play tennis together. Become a mystery shopper - This is something which has provided us many a great free date. We've gotten paid to eat at many restaurants - from casual to fine dining - in addition to getting two great meals and often drinks, appetizers, and a dessert - all complimentary! All I had to do was make sure and pay close attention to details while at the restaurant and record our experiences later. Since I'm a fairly attentive and detailed person, this is not hard for me to do and I can still enjoy our all-expenses-paid date night to boot! For more information on mystery shopping, check out my article on it here.
I could go on and on with ideas, these are just a few things we've enjoyed. I'd love to hear your ideas for cheap or free dates, too! Add to my list! ------------------- To join in Frugal Friday, just post a frugal tip or post on any subject of frugality on your blog, link to this post in your post, and then post the direct link to your Frugal Friday post below. Any link or post which does not adhere to these rules will be deleted at my discretion. If you do not have a blog, but have a tip to share, please post your tip in the comments section. And, remember the rules: Must be family-friendly. Thanks! I can't wait to read your tips!
Heart-transformation
 I really appreciated this post by Mrs. Wilt. It echoes my heart-cry and what I so desire to promote on this blog and most importantly, through my life. In my short lifetime, I've been guilty of much legalism and putting people and ministries up on pedestals. A few years ago, through some painfully heart-wrenching situations, those pedestals came crashing down in pieces and I learned firsthand that looking good on the outside is not enough. Heart-transformation is what is most important.
I was discussing this with a friend recently and sharing with her how I look back a few years ago and see how I often judged a family by their outward appearance - Did they homeschool? Did they have a large family? Did they dress modestly? - and so on and so forth. How short that fell! You can dress modestly, have a gaggle of children, and homeschool, and have no heart for God. Outward appearances can be very deceiving and sadly, I've witnessed it. Our outward convictions and standards should be an outpouring of the inner working of God's spirit in our life and nothing else. Don't do something because a Godly family you know does it or because a certain ministry encourages it. Seek the Lord, search the Scriptures, and strive to glorify and honor Him and Him alone. Mrs. Wilt says:...[A]s believers we must be truly cautious. Our caution must lie in the fact that although by all appearances things may be good, we must align every thing we allow in our homes to God's infallible Word. We must ultimately look at our persons as "heart mirrors" reflecting God's truth to an unsaved world, not rely on our exterior "flesh mirrors" to reflect Him. Although I firmly believe that the changes of the heart based on salvation will cause a concern for the worldly exterior as well, we must make certain that it is indeed the heart tuned to Christ and not a vain desire to "fit in to Christian circles" that causes each conviction in our lives to occur. Dear friends, holding God's Word as our foremost authority in all things removes much of the doubt and decision in our lives. Let us look only to Him for our "lists"! I am grateful for the Lord's patience and long-suffering with me as He continues to shape me more into His image. I want to be a vessel fit for His use, even if it means many painful circumstances to bring me closer to Himself. May the Lord bless each of you as you seek to glorify Him with your lives.
What do you think: Oath of office on the Koran?
5-minute meals?
 Does anyone have any great ideas for quick and easy meals which can be made in about five minutes or less? I can currently only stand to be in the kitchen to do food prep for about 2 minutes or so at a time but am hoping I can slowly get back into making meals for my family as I am tired of resorting to canned soup and carry-out. Any super simple ideas would be much appreciated.
As a special treat
Just as a very special surprise for our wonderful customers, we've decided to add a small selection of some of our very favorite music CDs to our store. This is something we've often received requests for and I've always hesitated, but with great encouragement from my husband, I'm excited to finally offer these.Finding God-honoring, conservative, uplifting, high quality music is a challenge in this day and age and we are striving to offer you some of the "best-of-the-best" in hopes that these CDs might bless your family as much as they have blessed ours. We have more to add as we get them in stock, but I just had to let you know about the ones I uploaded tonight...  Hot off the press is You Are God Alone from THE WILDS featuring Mac Lynch. If you are not familiar with the incredible music from THE WILDS, you are in for a real treat. I cannot begin to express how deeply and profoundly this CD has touched and blessed me. In the past few weeks, I have often been quite weary and in need of encouragement. This CD never ceases to revive my heart and refresh my soul. This CD will uplift your spirits and take your focus off of the temporal and onto the Eternal. Five of the songs are especially special to me as they were written and orchestrated by my sister, Brigette. If you only can afford to buy one CD from us, buy this one. You won't be disappointed. We also added some wonderful Christmas selections, and a personal favorite from Christopher Rogers, Simply Christmas (you can even listen to a few clips of this wonderful CD here!). Update: 11/29 - As an extra special bonus, for the next two days, when you purchase any of our new CDs, we will throw in an ebook of your choice for FREE! You can get one ebook per CD purchase, so if you purchase six CDs, you can get six ebooks FREE! Just email me after you place your order and tell me which ebook(s) you'd like and I'll send them your way! You can read about all of our ebooks here. And, don't stop reading, it gets better!! For the next two days only, you can save 20% on your entire order of any size (you don't even have to order CDs!) when you use coupon code NewCD at checkout. Be sure that the discount is calculated before you checkout. This discount can also be applied towards phone orders or mail in orders placed in the next two days. Just mention the code when ordering and receive a 20% discount.
A package I just had to mention
In need of some creative Christmas and Advent celebration ideas? I just got an email from Kerry Beck sharing about her brand-new package which looked so great I had to mention it here. Looks like there are more ideas and inspiration than you could ever use in a lifetime, or at least most certainly in the next four weeks! If only I weren't avoiding the kitchen right now - just looking at those ebooks makes me want to go bake cookies. But I know better than to start that! However, for those of you not in your first trimester of pregnancy, be sure to check out this great package.
Input requested: Meaningful Christmas gifts
First, I wonder how many gifts the ladies get their children for Christmas and the reasoning behind it? Also, I was wondering if I could get input on what folks are getting their children for Christmas that is NOT a toy? My children all have (or have had) birthdays within 45 days of each other at the end of the year and I do not want another heap of toys coming our way! I have 2 boys and 2 girls ages up to 7. I'm willing to search things out and/or make things. -Christi Thanks for the question, Christi! I'm sure some other mothers here have some great thoughts on this. So, for those of you with great ideas, please share! What kinds of meaningful and thoughtful gifts are you giving your children this year to encourage them in Godliness and truth and holiness?
By the way, I know some of you do not celebrate Christmas and I completely respect your family's decision in that regard. I try to shy away from mentioning it too extensively this month as my husband and I opt to keep Christmas Christ-centered and very simple in our home. However, I want to help and encourage those families who are seeking to have a Christ-centered Christmas as well with ideas and encouragement. Thanks for your understanding of this and for not making this a debate over Christmas.
Input requested: Good books for little children
I have a 13-month-old girl, and I want to get her some good books for Christmas. Probably board books, though maybe she'll be able to sit with me and look at paper books within a few months. Do you have any specific recommendations? I looked in your store and liked the Greek/Hebrew Bluedorn books, but I'm hoping for a few other ideas as well. -Beth Hi, Beth! Great question. Finding good quality books for young children can be a challenge - one we've experienced first-hand. Some of our favorites for colorful, learning board books without silliness or unrealistic characters are from Dorling Kindersley. These are not Christian books, and you have to weed through them as some have objectionable things, but the majority of them are very good and Kathrynne loves them. We use these for teaching her about names of objects, counting, animals, colors, shapes, and more. You can usually find a nice selection of these at your local bookstores. For a little bit older children (Kathrynne can't always sit through an entire reading of some of these books yet), we really like the children's books from Christian Light Publications. I haven't seen every single book they offer, but I've seen most of them and been very pleased. My younger siblings used these for learning to read. They also have some excellent children's activity books and their Just Learning to Color book is perfect for wee little ones. A few of Kathrynne's other favorites include Johannah Bluedorn's beautifully illustrated books, Bless the Lord, My Mommy, My Teacher, and The Lord Builds the House. She also loves her new book, Teach Them To Your Children. These books might be a little too much for your young daughter, but they all have colorful illustrations and, when Kathrynne was 6 months to a year or so, I'd just read a page or two to her a day and look at a few pictures and she usually really enjoyed it. Now that she is older, she can usually sit through an entire reading of Bless the Lord or The Lord Builds the House since they are short, simple, and colorful. She will often sit and look at them by herself for quite some time as well. Those are just a few suggestions, I'd love to hear from others. I'd like to eventually sell a much larger selection of high quality children's books and am always on the lookout for new items to add to Kathrynne's library.
Looking for real-life stories
Making music
I just had to share this darling picture of Kathrynne "playing" her new violin. She enjoyed "performing" a few times for Thanksgiving. We are looking forward to many years of beautiful music in our home thanks to her - though it might be a few years before we make it to the "beautiful music" level!
Change of heart?
So, there's been a lot of buzz about Wal-mart recently. I'm not one to readily jump on bandwagons - especially when it comes to boycotts. I prefer to spend more time holding up the good and honorable instead. But, I did take notice and found it interesting that Wal-mart would "change face" so quickly if it means losing the business of a portion of their customer base on "Black Friday." However, did they really change anything? I'm afraid I'm not convinced. According to the American Family Association:Wal-Mart has announced it "will no longer make corporate contributions to support or oppose controversial issues unless they directly relate to their ability to serve their customers." Seems pretty wishy-washy to me. My husband agreed it was a bunch of goobly-gook. They were basically saying something which sounded good but was, in essense, saying nothing. They could just as well have said, "We will support sodomites since they are part of our customer base and we want to serve our customer base." Since they have such a large customer base, I would wager to say that most all controversial issues would in some way "directly relate to their ability to serve their customers." In my opinion, this is no victory for truth and righteousness and should not be lauded as such. I appreciated Carmon's post on this and her conclusion: Everyone has to pick their battles. There are lots of issues to get grumpy about, and you can't even buy a computer from a company today that has corporate policies that Christian people can support. I think, though, that those who position themselves as supporting families but who simultaneously operate in a way that helps the enemies of family life, ought to be held accountable and not supported in their duplicity.
I can't do it myself
It's Thanksgiving time and I should really write the obligatory post on what I'm thankful for - isn't that what all good bloggers do? Only, in my current first-trimester state, I'm quite uninspired. It's not that I'm not thankful. I really am. It's just that what I'm thankful for this year is maybe not your typical. Yes, I'm thankful for a roof over my head, clothes to wear, my precious daughter, my wonderful husband, my baby in utero... But what I'm really thankful for this year is that I can't do it myself.
I've had a post sloshing around in my fuzzy brain for a few weeks now, but it wasn't until I read Becky's post that I realized it was meant to be a Thanksgiving post. For those of you who knew me before I got married, you knew a very confident, organized, get-things-done, "I'll take care of it" kind of person. My Day-Timer was my best friend and I thrived on overseeing, managing, and organizing. If you needed a job done, you could count on me to make it happen. These organizational skills were quickly and easily implemented into my home management as a young bride. I was a FlyLady "freak," with my zones, routines, menu planning, and homekeeping down to a science. And then, the inevitable happened. I got pregnant. Those two pink lines changed my life forever. I was thrown into a world of unpredictability and chaos. For the first 22 weeks of my pregnancy, I had intense morning-noon-and-night sickness. Many days, I never made it beyond our bedroom door. My only exercise was running from the bed to the bathroom. The dishes piled up, the laundry piled up, and all I could do was lie there and moan. However, I finally recovered enough to pull myself out of bed and try to get a handle back on things again. The house slowly got in better shape, the laundry pile dwindled, and I started to feel more on top of things again. "I can do this," I thought to myself. Then Kathrynne was born. Everyone talks about how hard the birth is supposed to be, no one seems to ever talk about how difficult the afterbirth is. The birth was a breeze to me but I was completely unprepared for the next three months of my life. The constant demands of a little baby, the endless feedings, the very short nights, the inability to plan anything because things would never go as planned. It took me weeks to regain my strength but much longer to realize that this darling little daughter had been given to us not just so I could ooh and ahh over her, but so I could learn a lesson I desperately needed to learn: I can't do it myself.This lesson was painful for self-reliant me to admit. For weeks, I thought things would get better. I'd get more organized, I'd start feeling better, we'd get on a better schedule, things would get back to normal. It finally dawned on me: This is the new normal. Time will never be your own again, your house will always looked very lived in, some days you won't get a shower, your best plans might be completely overturned in a matter of minutes by a messy diaper or fussy baby. You are no longer in control and you can't do it on your own. You can either relinquish your self-reliance and start trusting in the Lord, or you can spend the rest of your life lamenting what once was and no longer is. I finally gave in and gave up - on my own strength that is. And you know what? It was the best thing I ever did. When I at last learned that relying upon the Lord was much better than trying to struggle along in my mothering on my own, I found peace and contentment. My second pregnancy has been so much better than my first. I'm only eight weeks into it, but I have so much more joy and quietness in my heart. My house might look tornadic right now, I might not have gotten a shower yet today, my daughter might have chocolate smeared on her face (Don't ask. We were out of regular milk so she had chocolate milk on her cereal this morning. Hey, it was from a local dairy, so shouldn't that make it okay?!), I might have a mountain of laundry and a sinkful of dirty dishes, I might be running really low on energy and feeling quite sick, and I need to get everything ready for our weekend Thanksgiving travels, but it's okay. In my own strength, I'd be pulling my hair out, I'd be completely overwhelmed, and totally stressed, but I've learned that God's strength is so much better. By His grace, I can look beyond these temporal things and know He is in control, He is Sovereign, and He will give me everything I need to endure what He has called me to endure. His strength is made perfect in my weakness.
I can't do this, but "I can do all things through Christ." And I'm thankful my stubborn confident self has finally realized this.
The much-coveted green salad recipe
Since so many of you requested this, I'm posting the green salad recipe which I've been craving crazily for the past week. We first discovered this recipe from a tea room my sister, brother, and I worked at for a number of years. Since then, it has become a family favorite and a staple on our Thanksgiving menu. Though the combination might sound interesting, I served it to hundreds of people at the tea room and rarely ever came across anyone who didn't really like it. Usually, people were begging me for the recipe! Maybe it will become a Thanksgiving favorite at your home too."Green Green" Salad1 10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped broccoli, cooked and drained 1 green pepper, chopped 1 cucumber, seeded and chopped 1 can green beans, drained and chopped 1 can artichokes, drained on paper towel and chopped 1 can asparagus, drained, squeezed out and chopped Dressing: 1/2 c. half and half 1 cup mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip) 2 Tbsp. garlic salt 2 Tbsp. lemon juice Stir dressing ingredients together and mix well into vegetables. Refrigerate overnight. Note: This will not taste good when first mix it. It must sit at least overnight. Enjoy.
Input requested: Modest maternity clothes
I was wondering if you had any good resources for modest maternity clothes? I had a terrible time finding modest maternity clothes with my last pregnancy. I'm only 4 weeks pregnant, but this baby will be due in the summer (whereas my son was born in January), so I know that I'll need some cooler stuff in larger sizes and want to ask for it for Christmas. -Noah I don't have any great ideas, Noah. Last time I had a difficult time finding things and pieced together my wardrobe from various places little by little. I shared all of my clothes with my sister during her recent pregnancy and she added to my "stash" with things she found and is sending it all back to me soon, so I probably won't have to buy much. However, since this baby is due at a completely different season, I may have to come up with some more Summer clothes as well. I'd love to hear from any of you who have great ideas in this regard. And, if any of you have sewing businesses and make maternity clothes, please tell us about it!
Being faithful
Thanks to Jennifer for sending me the link to this interesting article on the new "Quiverfull Movement."I found it interesting and disturbing at the same time. As Christians, we should be known for our love for God first, not our family size. My problem with the whole "Quiverfull Movement" is that it very easily sets up large families on a pedestal. Now, don't get me wrong, I think that having a large family is wonderful. My husband and I would love to have many children to raise up for the glory of God and we want God to be sovereign over this area of our lives. We want to willingly and joyfully accept as many children as God gives us, for we see children as gifts from the Lord. However, it's not about the family size to us, it's about being faithful to what God has called us to.I know of some families who would love to have many children and God has only given them a few. I know of some couples who would love to have children and can't have any at all. Does that mean they are less Godly or less faithful? No. Not all Christian families are called to have 12 children, but all Christian families are called to be faithful and obedient. Faithfulness and obedience are of much greater importance to God than how many or few children you have. However, all that said, I haven't rescinded anything I believe about birth control, and I'm very grateful for the many families who are embracing the Biblical view of children, I just post this as a reminder to myself and others that we never hold up something like family size as of greater importance or spiritual significance than it is.
Out of the salt shaker
My sister let me borrow an old book recently (which I think has now been reprinted in the last 8 years), Out of the Salt Shaker and Into the World: Evangelism as a Way of Life. Convicting stuff. Questions which have been swirling around in my head today: How do I make evangelism a way of life? Am I willing to be "dumped out" of my comfort zone in order to share Christ with a lost and dying world? Am I willing to take risks to share Christ? How do I find the balance of being "in the world but not of the world" - am I leaning too far to one side or the other? How often am I praying for opportunities to share Christ? I'd love to hear from you: How are you actively seeking to be salt and light where God has placed you?
Yet more weirdness
After spending most of this week so sick that eating was entirely the last thing I wanted to do, you know how nice it was to wake up this morning craving pancakes? And then cinnamon rolls... and then Subway... and then mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, and yes, green salad. I even had one moment where pumpkin pie with whipped cream sounded really yummy. Of course it only lasted a short while and then I went back to ole' sick thing, but it was sure nice to have a short little window of liking food again. :) By the way, my apologies for the lack of postings of substance recently. I'm sure at some point in the future my life will revolve around more than the couch, nausea, and sleep. In the mean time, I'll try to spare you most of those details.
Pathetic
We are most surely an entertainment-overloaded, selfish society:HARTFORD, Conn. - Two armed thugs tried to rob a line of people waiting for the new Playstation 3 game system to go on sale early Friday and shot a man who
refused to give up his money, authorities said. In other states, customers pushed and shoved their way to the shelves to get at the limited supply, and in Kentucky, four people were grazed by BBs fired from a passing vehicle as they waited for a Best Buy store to open. All for something to play video games on? I'm sorry, but that's pathetic in my opinion. Do people not have anything better to do these days?
Frugal Fridays: A Little Secret
I promise I will finish the series on Simply Centsible Living, but I had to take yet another break today to let you in on a little secret... My husband wanted to learn the basics of web design a few months ago, so, we decided to have his beginner project be creating a website I've long wanted to produce - a one-stop site on all things frugal from grocery shopping, to homeschooling, to gifts, to utilities, to cooking, and much more. So many of you are constantly begging for more ideas and insight and articles in this area, but I've not wanted to overrun this site with such. However, knowing there was a need, I've been praying and thinking about how to possibly fill that need without creating more work than I could handle. And so, Jesse did all the basic design a few months ago and I've just been waiting for an opportunity to add all the content which has been swimming around in my head. Today it hit me that this time of early pregnancy would be my perfect chance. With laptop in tow, I embarked and was able to get most of the final touches done this afternoon so I can begin adding content. It's nothing brilliant, but I'm hoping it can be a great encouragement to many of you always looking for ideas and encouragement in the area of stretching your budget. And so, I present to you... SimplyCentsible.com(The domain isn't all transferred over yet; it's still hosted on this site for now.) It's pretty sparse right now, but I have thousands more pages planned to add. I'm hoping all my time on the couch these next few weeks will provide more opportunities for me to expand it greatly. :) And don't you think my hubby did a pretty good job for his first shot at web design? I would love to have your help. Have you written an article or blog post on frugality that you'd be willing to submit for possible publication? Email it to me along with your bio. Maybe a previous Frugal Friday tip you've written would work as well? I'm interested in anything from a short tip or a three-page article - send it my way! Know of a great website or book which I should link to or recommend? Tell me about that, too. I want to make this an ever-expanding resource for women and young women who are seeking to be wise stewards of the resources God has given them. Any ideas? Send them my way! ------------------------- To join in Frugal Friday, just post a frugal tip or post on any subject of frugality on your blog, link to this post in your post, and then post the direct link to your Frugal Friday post below. Any link or post which does not adhere to these rules will be deleted at my discretion. If you do not have a blog, but have a tip to share, please post your tip in the comments section. And, remember the rules: Must be family-friendly. Thanks! I can't wait to read your tips!
Weirdness
 Sometimes, being pregnant just makes you weird. I don't know another term for it. Since I found out I was pregnant, I've tried very hard to make myself eat every few hours. This was the biggest mistake I made last time around and I didn't want to suffer the consequences of being so weak and sick again. So, every few hours when the horrible "empty stomach sickness" started hitting, I've dutifully tried to scratch my brain and come up with something I thought I could down which had some nutrition, too, if possible. The longer this has gone on, the harder it's become. The last few days, nothing has sounded even halfway appetizing (to put it mildly); I'd be sick before I ate it, when I ate it, and after I ate. Yet, I still painstakingly forced myself to eat because not eating would have even greater repercussions. Nothing sounded good all this week until yesterday, that is. My husband emailed me from work mid-afternoon and asked me if I could make something for an upcoming Thanksgiving celebration we were supposed to be attending in a few days, if I felt up to it (everything in our lives is contingent upon that right now!). Instead of just asking if I could bring something, he made the mistake of suggesting I could make this green vegetable salad which usually gets rave reviews. That did it. All I could think about was the green salad... A-L-L afternoon. I felt like I could give anything to have some of that green salad. In fact, I could eat a whole big bowlful of it. When Jesse walked in the door, that's practically all I could talk about the entire evening. Finally, he offered to go to the store and buy the ingredients and make it for me. Now I really got excited. I pulled out the recipe to start writing down what he needed to buy and much to my horror read, "Must sit overnight. This salad will NOT taste good when it is first made."I was crushed. Doesn't the recipe creator know that pregnant women can't wait overnight for green salad? I need it now. Right now. Besides, in the morning, it will probably make me sick. Needless to say, I somehow survived without the green salad. Somehow. We pregnant women always do, even though at the time it seems almost like a life or death matter. By the way, I didn't tell you what is in this much-coveted green salad, did I? Among other things, asparagus, green peppers, cucumbers, and artichokes. Need I say more? And did I tell you that up until yesterday afternoon, the thought of any green vegetable was utterly appalling to me? The verdict is in: I'm just weird.
No value for human life
Doesn't this article just break your heart? From The Daily Mail:
The Church of England has broken with tradition dogma by calling for doctors to be allowed to let sick newborn babies die. Christians have long argued that life should preserved at all costs - but a bishop representing the national church has now sparked controversy by arguing that there are occasions when it is compassionate to leave a severely disabled child to die. And the Bishop of Southwark, Tom Butler, who is the vice chair of the Church of England's Mission and Public Affairs Council, has also argued that the high financial cost of keeping desperately ill babies alive should be a factor in life or death decisions. However, in light of the rampant brutal murdering of tiny babies still in utero all across our country, should something like this surprise us? When there is no value for human life inside the womb, why should we value it once it is out of the womb? HT: Doug Phillips and LAF
Wonderful new ebooks!
I'm so thrilled to now offer Mrs. Wilt's ebooks on our website! I've been working with her on this for a number of weeks now and finally got everything set up today. I know you all will be just as excited and inspired as I was by these ebooks.
A Proper Tea Want to learn the art of hosting a proper and beautiful tea? This ebook will show you how! Lovely pictures, practical ideas, yummy recipes, and much more grace the pages of this 33-page ebook. From unique invitations, creative favors, eye-pleasing table decorations, to mouth-watering scones, this ebook covers it all with flair! In the back you will even find a checklist to make sure you don't forget any of the important details for your special event.
Order here for only $4.97! 
In Good Season: Autumn Within this ebook, you will find delightful thoughts to multiply your enjoyment of the Autumn season. Includes simple and inexpensive ways to decorate your table, your living areas, and even the outdoors of your home. Many simple Autumn craft patterns and pictures are to be found, as well, from napkins and napkin rings, placecards, leaf projects, and more. The delicious Fall recipes are sure to tempt your tastebuds. This ebook shares three different menus - a formal dinner, a casual dinner, and a tea. You will also find an abundance of beautiful pictures and some creative Fall family activity ideas. 41 pages.
Order here for only $6.97!
Make Your Own A compilation of craft ideas to warm the heart and home. Learn how to make: Resurrection Eggs
Topiaries
Kitchen Curtains
A Menu Board
Spring Placecards
Monogrammed Diaper Bags
A Front Door Wreath
Toile Padded Picture Frame
Sugar Shaker Candle
Floral Swag
Mason Jar Luminaries
House Garland
And more! 65 pages of detailed instructions and illustrations and color pictures. Order here for only $6.97! ----------------------------- Package Specials!
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Coupon savings
Homemakerang shares about her coupon savings from this past month here. For only couponing for one month, I am really proud of her for saving 55% on her bill! I'd love to hear about your coupon savings recently, too, if you'd like to share. I've cut back on my couponing since I'm not feeling well and Jesse's been doing most of the shopping for us, but we still have so much food stocked up that our grocery bill hasn't changed much at all. Plus, Jesse is very good at staying within the budget and using coupons so I can send him to the store with a list and coupons and he's able to do a great job in my place. By the way, I really am going to finish editing the Supermarket Savings ebook sometime soon. In the meantime, it is still only $3.97 here.
Input requested: Frugal home decorating
 Do you know of any books on frugal home decorating? Tips on making your house welcoming, "homey", and attractive. Thanks in advance! Jill I don't have any fabulous ideas for this and honestly have not read a lot of books on the subject, but I am reading and enjoying one which might be somewhat along those lines right now: A Life That Says Welcome: Simple Ways to Open Your Heart and Home to Others by Karen Ehman. Though not specifically on frugal decorating, it gives a lot of very simple ideas and encouragement for making your home welcoming and your heart hospitable - not just to guests but to your own family. I've really enjoyed it so far, though I still have about half of it left to read. Do others have suggestions? Perhaps something which could be obtained at the library? Also, feel free to share any frugal decorating tips of your own, or ways you have inexpensively made your home more welcoming and inviting.
Free breakfast at Chick-fil-A
Not your typical first-time mom
I saw this on GirlTalk and got a chuckle out of it:
BIRTH ORDER OF CHILDREN 1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy. 2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible. 3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.
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Preparing for the Birth: 1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously. 2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last time, breathing didn't' t do a thing. 3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month
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The Layette: 1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau. 2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains. 3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?
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Worries: 1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up the baby. 2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn. 3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing
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Pacifier: 1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it. 2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle. 3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.
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Diapering: 1st baby: You change your baby's diapers every hour, whether they need it or not. 2nd baby: You change their diaper every two to three hours, if needed. 3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees. ______________________________________________________
Activities: 1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour. 2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics. 3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.
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Going Out: 1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times. 2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached. 3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.
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At Home: 1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby. 2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby. 3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.
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Swallowing Coins (a favorite): 1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays. 2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass. 3rd child: When third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!
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Since I've only birthed one child so far, I'm not completely sure I can talk about this, but I did find it amusing that I wasn't much like the mother of the first baby described here. I did wear maternity clothes probably earlier than I needed to (I guess I'd rather look pregnant than fat, you know!) and did spend a lot of time gazing at our baby. I also worried in the first few weeks if I was laying her down in her bed right, or if she was getting enough to eat. But I most certainly didn't spend a lot of time getting things ready for the baby, have never had Kathrynne in anything like Baby Gymnastics (I know, I know, aren't I a terrible mom? Kathrynne's outings are usually to the grocery store!) and I was forever forgetting to change her diaper. The pacifier thing reminds me of a time that Kathrynne dropped hers on the floor at church. Without thinking, I picked it up and wiped it off with the blanket and started to stick it back in her mouth. This mother of nine came rushing across the room, pulled the pacifier away from me, went and washed it with soap and water, and brought it back to me on a paper towel. I about fell over and didn't want to admit to her that I never worried about washing it when it dropped! Oops. Am I the only somewhat unfirst-time-mom-like, first-time mom, or are there others of you out there lurking? I wonder if it means that since I'm so nonchalant about things now, I'll be a really bad mom by the time I'm on my fifth child?
It's official
 Cadence Irene was born to my sister and her husband in Taipei, Taiwan on November 9 weighing 5 1/2 pounds. She was 11 days early, my sister had a very similar birth to mine (though a few hours shorter), and Cadence actually has some hair - much to their surprise! She's beautiful and I am so happy for them! And I'm finally an AUNT! ETA: I know you all are such great prayer warriors and I wanted to ask if you could lift up my sister and her husband and precious Cadence. Cadence was admitted to the hospital today because she is struggling with jaundice. She will be in there for at least a few days. I know this is not terribly uncommon, however, since my sister and her husband are living in a foreign country, far away from any family support, my brother-in-law cannot get off work, and because of hospital rules, my sister can only see the baby a few times a day to nurse her, it is very trying on them. I know they would appreciate anyone who would take the time to lift their little family up in prayer. Thank you in advance.
An encouragement to this weary mommy
In the midst of a lot of things to really trust the Lord about right now, God has provided us with so many patches of beautiful sunshine and blessing. One of those has been in our precious daughter. I can't tell you what a joy and a delight she is to her mommy and daddy. Kathrynne has been doing extremely well in potty-training recently, in spite of my not feeling well and not working with her as much. Yesterday she went all day without any accidents - to church, to a youth symphony concert that her aunt played in, to both grandparents' homes. I have no idea if the trend will continue, but it was most certainly an encouragement to this weary mommy. I am so excited about soon having two little precious ones running around my feet and playing together and tugging at my skirt. Just anticipating it makes all this all-day sickness and tiredness worth it! God is good.
Amy on public education
I got "stuck" reading Amy's blog today, including the comments, and caught this gem of a comment that she wrote: While many parents have various reasons for choosing to send their kids to public school, the most often given reason is that their kids are to be salt and light. The reasoning is: If Christians pull out of the public schools, it will go to pot. Folks, it's already gone to pot and kids are not evangelizing other kids. As Dr. Phil would say, "How's that workin' for ya?" The religion of the state, secularism, is a religion that opposes God. Did the Israelites hire the Baal worshippers to school their children in the law of God? Did the children of Israel send their kids to the Assyrian schools? My question in question, "Why do Christians who advocate 'salt and light' not send their children to the Islamic School of Jihad for evangelizing? Wouldn't tuition fees count as giving to missions?" is my way of calling Christian parents to intellectual honesty. If you are really sending your kids to school to be "salt and light," why not put your money out for the cause? Why not send your kids to a Jewish Day School? A Catholic school? Each non-God-fearing institution is in need of the Good News. Why do you only choose the "free" one? (By putting the word "free" in quotes, I'm pointing out that robbing citizens of their money isn't free. If one would disagree with me on this, try not paying your property taxes on a house that you own. But I'm digressing here.) Why not get serious and send our Christian 5-year-olds to Islamic schools? To deny that the public schools have an agenda to indoctrinate your child into a drone of the secular state is dishonest. See John Taylor Gatto's The Underground History of American Education. Christian Day Schools and homeschools are the only viable option to today's American Christian families. Admittedly, it is high time that Christian schools find creative ways to reduce their tuition and fees. Going back to a New Testament model of worship and living by forgoing all the riff-raff of extravagant buildings, programs, and Halloween festivals that rival a New Orleans' Mardi Gras is one way to save money. Think of all the kids we could sponsor by TBN donations alone. In the meantime, droves of parents are taking seriously the call of God to teach our children God's law (Deu. 6). This responsibility to train belongs to parents, specifically fathers. As evangelical children leave their faith in droves (see any Barna study), it is crucial that Christian parents stop the insanity-which is, of course, doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. The reason that I write about family life issues here is because I believe that culture will be changed on a micro level, not a macro one. In other words, as more and more Christian families walk the narrow way, the Church will be made strong. The world doesn't need another public Evangelical crusading against homosexuals, as recent news proves. Quiet, ordinary people who have presented themselves to God to use at His disposal will change culture. Little by little, a family here, a family there.
Don't miss Amy's great follow-up comment to this as well. Wise words from a wise woman.
Frugal Friday: Toxins, toxins, everywhere
 This wasn't going to be my Frugal Friday post, but after I wrote it, I realized it was somewhat appropriate. We'll resume the series on Simply Centsible Living next week, hopefully!------------------ In between the incessant all-day-sickness and never-ending exhaustion, I actually have a few patches here and there of semi-intelligent thought patterns. (Yeah, believe it or not. I know some of you who are less-than-fond of yours truly think I never have any intelligent thought patterns, but we won't go there...)  One of the things I've been contemplating is toxins. I'm reading The Complete Organic Pregnancy and actually considering making some considerable changes in our lifestyle. No, I'm not turning into a tree-hugging liberal, but I'm starting to notice how so many things I used to take for granted have a toxic effect on our environment. Not just the environment at large, but our own little home. And my own little people in our home. Do I really want them breathing more toxic fumes than they have to? One area we are currently making a switch in is cleaning products. I've always gone with fairly simple cleaning products, but I never realized how many harmful chemicals could be that simple single bottle of disinfectant spray. According to this book, once you spray it, those fumes stay in your home for up to a week. Ick! My babies are breathing that nasty stuff for a week after I clean. Lots more research to do on this, but in the mean time we just got a bottle of Basic H from Shaklee which I've been very impressed with. It makes 48 gallons of cleaner, is non-toxic, organic, biodegradable, and very reasonably priced - only $11.95 for a concentrate which makes 48 gallons. You can see the label and more details on the cleaners you can make with it here. My more in-depth review will be coming soon. Just wanted to give it as an example of how you can find nontoxic cleaners which won't break your budget. I'm also hoping to research making my own cleaners from safe ingredients. Does anyone do this? Does anyone use nontoxic cleaners? If so, which ones and what has your experience been? Another area is water. We have been trying to only drink bottled water whenever possible while searching for a less-expensive alternative. Well, after some research, we found a simple solution which will work for the time being - a Brita pitcher. (It was free with ECBs from CVS, by the way). Until we can save up for a more expensive water filtration system, this will at least allow me to drink decent water during my pregnancy and Kathrynne will be able to, as well. Those are just two simple examples of ways we are practically trying to make changes to have a less toxic home environment for our babies without spending a lot of money. There are so many other things we are considering right now as well. Expect some future posts along these lines! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Are toxins something you think about? Do you try to avoid them? If so, how? What are some practical ways you are making your home environment less toxic for your family? By the way, this is not to put anyone on a guilt trip. Obviously, God is ultimately in control and He can protect us. However, I do think we have a responsibility to be wise stewards - not only of our time and money, but also of our bodies. I guess I'd just always focused more on the food we put into them and never thought much of the fumes we might be breathing in. ---------------- To join in Frugal Friday, just post a frugal tip or post on any subject of frugality on your blog, link to this post in your post, and then post the direct link to your Frugal Friday post below. Any link or post which does not adhere to these rules will be deleted at my discretion. If you do not have a blog, but have a tip to share, please post your tip in the comments section. And, remember the rules: Must be family-friendly. Thanks! I can't wait to read your tips! Note: Please do NOT post a link to your business website below. All links of that sort will be deleted. If you have a business blog and want to write a post on frugality on that, you are more than welcome to post your link below, but please respect the rules in not just posting your website URL below as a way of garnering advertising. This is for blog posts on frugality only. Thank you for your understanding in this.
Q&A: How do you find the time to write?
 My husband has asked me to write an e-book for him regarding his business. I'm a free lance writer, but I have never written more than a long article. How do you find the time to write? How long did it take you to write your last book? I have a 5 bedroom house with 6 people living in it. Between all my responsibility I have a tough time getting it all done. Homeschooling and the holidays make life stressful during this time anyway. I have a 15, 12, and 9-year-old daughter. I really want to do this right, he has never asked me to help in such an in depth way before. Any advice would be coveted! -Melissa Hi, Melissa! Great question! How exciting that you can honor and bless your husband through this project! However, I well know that transitioning from an article to a book can seem like a big leap. When I published my first booklet, The Merchant Maiden, it seemed like a huge task and took dozens of hours and much effort to get it to completion. At that time, I was a stay-at-home wife expecting Kathrynne. Though I wasn't feeling too well my whole pregnancy, I had lots of quiet time on my hands to focus on writing. That was my first and last writing project before children and I've had to become much more creative in finding writing time since then. So, when do I find the time to write? Basically, whenever I can! I am one of those people who can only do focused writing when things are completely quiet. My best writing seems to happen then, so I rarely attempt to have any focused writing time when I don't have a very quiet room to work in. Otherwise, it is just mostly wasted time. Sometimes I'll get up early in the morning and write for a little while before anyone is up. Sometimes I'll be up writing after everyone has gone to bed. For the most part, though, I usually set aside a little bit of Kathrynne's naptime to write. It doesn't happen everyday, but it happens many days and that's what works best for me. If I've just finished a big writing project, I usually give myself at least 4-6 weeks off. This helps me to not get burned out and when I come back to writing, I'm usually re-inspired and ready to hit it again! How much time do I spend writing in a day? If I am working on a book project, I usually set a goal to spend 15-30 minutes a day on it in the initial stages. When it is closer to completion, it will often be more like an hour or so a day for a week or two, depending upon how large the project. There are usually a few days in the very final stages where it is longer than an hour, but those are rare occasions. On most days, I don't have much more than 15-30 minutes a day to write. Yes, I don't produce that many books and ebooks and what I do produce is all small in size, but I'm happy to have something to show for the 15-30 minute daily investment. 15-30 minutes is something and something is better than nothing. That's how I look at it. I always have many more book ideas than time, but instead of being overwhelmed by all those ideas and the lack of time to get them all down on paper, I just keep plodding along with my little daily time investment and it slowly adds up. When working on a book project, I do set loose goals and deadlines for myself, as this seems to be beneficial in prodding me along, but I'm okay if I don't necessarily make these deadlines. For a 50-or-so-page ebook, I would allow myself at least 2-4 months to finish it. For an actual printed book, I would allow myself at least six months from start to finish. That is pretty reasonable for me. For others, it might be much too short or much too long. Printed books involve much more time for me as I usually get a number of editors and reviewers to go over the final manuscript. Then you add on the time to have it laid out and the graphic design done and then the time at the printers. I also like to allow a few weeks for the final manuscript to rest and then I re-read through it aloud with my husband to make final edits and revisions. Depending upon the size of the book, once the book manuscript draft is finished, those many final details can take at least 4-8 weeks or longer. This is one reason I don't produce as many printed books! I try to only have one writing project going at a time. I might be formulating ideas for a future writing project in my head or roughly on paper while writing something else, but I try very to stick with what I'm working on and actually finish it, before moving onto anything else. Sometimes that can be a challenge, especially to a flighty person like me, but it does pay off and guarantees the project is actually completed. I've found that blogging is one of the easiest forms of writing for me. So, if I'm feeling "inspired" to write on something, I often will blog it and file it away in my memory to work that blog entry into a later writing project. Another thing I've learned is that I write best at my desktop computer. Pen and paper are for personal journaling; computers are for public writing (at least that's how my brain computes it). I have a laptop and wireless internet so I can blog or type anywhere in the house (the perks of having a business!), but I've found that if I'm going to do focused writing, it really needs to be at my desk in the office. Again, this is what works for me. You might do your best writing curled up on the corner of the sofa! Try different things and see what is most productive. I talk to many people who want to write and would love to publish things or at least produce ebooks. But I often hear them complain about their lack of time to do so. I always recommend they find a time in their day to carve out 15 minutes to sit down with a pen and paper or computer and blank screen and just write. Set the timer and get up after 15 minutes. Don't be disheartened if there are only 3 sentences written. Save your work and repeat the 15 minute writing time the next day, adding to and revising what you had written the day before. Keep doing this 4-5 days a week for a month and you'll probably be surprised at how much you'll have written. If I were you, Melissa, instead of stressing over writing something mammoth compared to short articles, just view this ebook as a series of articles. Write one article at a time and then go back and work on meshing them together. Focus on bite-size pieces and it will make things seem a lot more manageable. Also, it sounds like your daughters are old enough that you could easily institute "Mom's Writing Time" sometime during the day. Ask them to give you 15-30 minutes of quietness sometime everyday. Perhaps you could even have them work on their own creative writing projects during that time. Most importantly, pray and ask the Lord to give you wisdom, time, creativity, and so forth to be able to start and complete this project. Do it as an offering unto the Lord to honor and bless your husband and God will richly bless your efforts!
Input requested: Pregnancy with littles
Would all of you experienced moms like to share your great tips, strategies, stories, and just plain ole' encouragement for how you've dealt with morning sickness/first trimester exhaustion when you have littles in your home?
Blogger help
When I signed onto Blogger tonight, I was told that I can now upgrade the new version of Blogger. I know we all have to eventually switch over and I'm planning to do so soon to take advantage of the great features. However, if I switch, will I have to put a lot of time and effort into the switch? I just wanted to know ahead of time what was involved so that I could be prepared and do it at a more opportune time if some work and time is involved.
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