Jul. 3, 2009

Frugality in Filling Your Hope Chest

Some people think of hope chests as something old fashioned or out-dated. I think of them as practical. A hope chest can be anything from a Rubbermaid tote to a wooden chest. It can be plain or fancy, but it does not matter.

I know a lot of young women don’t really have all that much to spend on a whole boatload of things to fill their hope chest with. That’s where frugality and creativity comes into play. That’s what we’re talking about today. Frugally filling your hope chest.

First of all, I think it’s helpful to get an idea of what you will need. Here’s a list of things that I am planning to put in mine:

•    Sheet sets and blankets enough for 2-3 beds
•    Bath/room towels and wash cloths
•    Kitchen towels and dish rags
•    Dishes
•    1 table cloth
•    10 cloth napkins
•    2 potholders
•    baby blankets
•    burp cloths
 (I may even put some baby clothes in. Who knows! ☺)

Those are the very basics. (I have a GIANT list somewhere.)

Now lets start discussing, shall we? First off: the sheet sets and blankets. I would probably buy the sheets and blankets new just because I wouldn’t feel comfortable other wise. You could always embroider the pillowcases and the top of the sheets if you wanted. That is totally up to you!

For the bathroom and kitchen towels and rags I would probably buy the towels new and crochet or knit the cloths. If you don’t know how to crochet or knit it’s pretty easy to learn how. There are many different sites online for tutorials and patterns to teach you how for free!

If you know how to sew a hem, then the tablecloth and the napkins will be a breeze! The potholders shouldn’t be very expensive either.

Keep in mind as you make your list that you look for anything that could be handmade. Whether that be sewing, knitting, crocheting, or even adding a simple touch such as a little bit of embroidery. Just choose which option is best and cheapest for you. As I briefly mentioned earlier, if you don’t know how to do something (like embroidery, crocheting, knitting, etc…) there are many books, tutorials, blogs, and videos online where you can learn for free.

Be creative. If something could serve two or more purposes that is great! It will make what little money you do have stretch. Also, if there is something on your list that is really not necessary, or something you are only going to use a handful of times at the most, don’t buy/make it. If you plan to put any pots or pans in yours you may want to consider which two pans you would use the most. For me this would be a 10inch iron skillet and a saucepan. And you can sometimes find a set of matching dishes at thrift stores.

To sum it up, be creative, learn, stretch a dollar, and consolidate.

If any of you have recommendations as to what to fill a hope chest with, feedback is welcome! Also, married ladies, what did you use the most when you got married?


Hope that helps gals!

~Hannah

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Jul. 1, 2009

Link Love, Blessings, Bloggers, and Encouragement

Today is just going to be a bunch of links that have either blessed me, inspired me, caught my attention, or effected me (in a good way) in some way. Some of these links may also be to blogs that have blessed me. So many of  you have blessed me so much. Not only by your blogs and writings, but by your friendship.

Now for the links!

Mrs. S over at For Such A Time As This is not only a great writer and blogging buddy, but an awesome friend in real life. She has encouraged me so much, in so many different ways. If you don’t already read her blog, go and check it out! She has some great looking recipes, too!

Miss Emily Rose over at Simply Vintage Girl has some great stuff, too! She takes amazing photos, puts together some great looking web sites, makes some really cool looking Pod Pockets in her Shop, and has some really neat writings.

Miss Breezy (Miss Emily Rose and Miss Breezy are sisters) over at A Bowl Of Moss And Pebbles has got some serious talent. Take one look at her drawings and paintings and you can tell she has a gift! You may also buy them at her shop.

Mrs. W. over at Resolved 2 Worship is an awesome photographer, mother, blogger, and writer. She blesses me so much by her wisdom, words, and photos.

Mrs. C. over at Lessons Learned On the Farm  will give you a laugh, something to ponder, a picture to look at, and a friend to keep you company- don’t forget the great info and advise!

Mrs. Sarah Mae over at Like A Warm Cup Of Coffee has a little bit of everything for everyone. While you’re there, go on over and check out what the 5:16 Gals are all about. :)  On her blog you can find inspiration, ideas, helpful information, and a friend. So go on over there and check her blog out!

Mrs. Dixon over at Walking Therein has Yeshua in her heart and life, some wisdom to bring, and some encouragement to share. You can also find her and her family over at Gleaning the Harvest, Training Daughters, Teaching Wives, Training Sons To Be Men, and States and Countries Exploration.

Miss Amanda (Mrs. Dixon’s daughter) over at The Daily Planet is like a big sister. She tells about life as the eldest of 8, what she loves, what she is discovering, and more! You can also check her out on Twitter. So go on over to The Daily Planet and check it out!

Miss Jocelyn (another one of Mrs. Dixon’s daughters) over at A Pondering Heart shares her heart about her beliefs, living in a large family, being a daughter of Yeshua, and doing what she loves. Also, every Monday she puts out a new issue The Weekly which informs you of news, some things online, gives you some funnies, and more.

Miss Rachel (another one of Mrs. Dixon’s daughters) over at A City on A Hill blogs about her hobbies such as baking, photography, cooking, and what she is learning. Her blog blesses me so much! If you have a minute, won’t you go and check her blog out? She has some really great recipes, too!

There we have it! What do you think? :)

I hope you are as blessed by these bloggers as I am!

Shalom,

Hannah

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Jun. 25, 2009

The Blessing Of Siblings

Siblings are a wonderful gift from God. God gave them to us for a reason and a purpose. They can be friends, a comfort, someone to laugh with, a shoulder to cry on, someone who will pray for you, someone you can count on, someone who loves you (even when it may seem like no one else does), and someone to cheer you on, to name a few. If I named them all it would fill pages. They can also help us better improve certain characters such as patience, self-control, and selflessness.

“No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from Heaven.”
John 3:27 CJB

Notice I said they could be all those things. They can if you want them too. They can if you both work hard enough at your friendship. That’s what makes sibling friendships so valuable- both people working hard and diligently at something worthwhile and admirable.

That’s not to say that once you both get to the point of friendship it will be effortless from there. If you both have that mindset, when you get to the point of friendship, it will only go down hill from there. It’s something that needs to be guarded carefully, watched over, and taken care of constantly. It requires selflessness it requires selflessness,

Selflessness is impossible for any and every human to obtain. It’s impossible. What we must also realize is that, try as we may, we cannot have a close friendship with our sibling(s) unless our relationship(s) with them are Christ-centered. We must know what the Lord wants for our friendship with them and what His definition of friendship is. We must know His heart. He wants us to have a close relationship with our sibling(s), but we must first know His heart and His definition of friends or friendship.

It’s a lot of work, but so rewarding and fruitful. And by your example others will be able to see the rewards of having a close friendship with your sibling(s). It’s a beautiful thing.

***************************************************************************************************************************
This was originally posted at Wisdom Begun as a guest post by me. If you have time, please tell me what you think. :) I'd love to know!

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Jun. 15, 2009

Everything Happening

I have been trying to get going on a new design for this blog. Also trying at some point soon to organize it better. Those two things alone take a lot of work on the back end of the blog. I’m guessing that I won’t have as much time for the front end of my blog.

I will try my best to get some guest bloggers on here for y’all. I will try my best and post on here some myself, too. Are there any topics you would like me or a guest blogger to blog on? I’ve got some in mind, but just wondered… What do y’all think of a Q&A or some interviews? Suggestions are welcome! :-)

As I said, there is a lot of work on the back end. That along with the business my life has become on a regular basis there is not a whole lot of room for blogging. I’m trying my best to balance everything out though. There is a lot of new stuff going on in my life too. So I’m trying come up with a new schedule that will work for me and get used to it.

Would anyone be interested in guest blogging? I have some topics that you could pick from. If you are interested please email me ASAP and I will get you the list of topics. :-)


That’s about it. Just wanted to update you on what is and will be going on.

Shalom,

 

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Jun. 11, 2009

Summer Treats

Today we are talking about summer treats. I will mention now that by "Summer Treats" I don't mean everything that's cold. There will be some thing for everyone, I do believe. I will try my best to have a variety of things thrown in here. Some of these foods are ones that you can serve year-round.

First off, a favorite of every kid!

Popsicles

They are very versatile and you can do so many things with them! You can make them out of fruit juice, most of your favorite beverages, pudding, and homemade smoothies, are a few ideas to get you started. You can put frozen berries, chocolate chips, and m&ms (the chocolate candies are more specifically for chocolate ones), but I bet you can think of some more too! Those are just a few ideas.

For molds you can use a small plastic cup, a paper cup (like a Dixie cup), or store bought molds. Make sure that if you use a cup that you put a popsicle stick in it though. I have put a spoon in the cup before and it worked fine. Just make sure your cup is deep enough for the spoon. If you have little ones you can freeze juice in ice cube trays and once frozen crush them up in a blender. (Spoon feeding the crushed mixture to them, of course.)

Frozen Bananas

These are super simple! You peel a banana, put a popsicle stick through the middle, dip it in the sauce/dip (or whatever you want to call it), and put any toppings you want on it, stick it in the freezer on a plate until frozen and BAM. There you have it. For sauces/dips to roll them you can use chocolate, pudding, caramel, smoothies, or yogurt. After dipping them in the dip of your preference you can roll them in nuts, granola, small candies, or your preference.

Lemonade

Miss Rachel has a wonderful recipe on her blog for both lemonade and limeade! Very yummy! Just click the word 'lemonade' above and it will take you directly to the recipes.

Frozen Fruit

This stuff is incredible! You can freeze grapes, peaches, nectarines, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Those are the ones we’ve tried so far and loved them! But you could certainly try other fruits as well.

Srawberry Shortcake Cake
 
Cake-

1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs

Icing-

1/2 pound cream cheese, room temperature
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound of strawberries.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and corn starch. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream 9 tablespoons butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well each time. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just barely combined. Pour into greased and floured 8-inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until no longer jiggly. Remove from cake pan as soon as you pull it out of the oven, and place on a cooling rack. Allow it to cool completely.

Stem strawberries and slice them in half from bottom to top. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir together and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, mash the strawberries in two batches. Sprinkle each half with 1 tablespoons sugar and allow to sit for another 30 minutes.


Make icing: combine cream cheeses, 2 sticks butter, sifted powdered sugar, vanilla, and dash of salt in a mixing bowl. Mix until very light and fluffy. Slice cake in half through the middle. Spread strawberries evenly over each half (cut side up), pouring on all the juices. Place cake halves into the freezer for five minutes, just to make icing easier.

Remove from freezer. Use a little less that 1/3/ of the icing to spread over the top of the bottom layer. Place the second layer on top. Add half of the remaining icing to the top spreading evenly, then spread the remaining 1/3 cup around the sides.

Leave plain or garnish with strawberry halves. IMPORTANT: cake is best when served slightly cool. The butter content in the icing will cause it to soften at room temperature. For best results, store in the fridge!

Credit: Ree Drummond aka: The Pioneer Woman

And an all-time favorite of mine…

Chips and Salsa

Okay, okay. So this isn’t exactly your idea of a “Summer Treat”. I’m sorry, but I love this stuff. I just had to include it.

THE Salsa Recipe

1 can of petite diced tomatoes, not drained
½ of an onion, diced small
1 clove of fresh garlic, minced
½ cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
the juice of ½ a lime
----
Mix tomatoes, onion, garlic, and cilantro in a medium sized bowl. Add the vinegar and lime juice and stir.

That wasn’t too hard, was it?

If you have any more summer treats you’d like me to add you are welcome to contact me with them. I have enjoyed getting to know all of your favorite summer treats! I may even do a Fall and Winter edition. 

Shalom,
 

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