Nov. 9, 2009 - Tightwad Tuesday ~ Save In Piggybacking
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Save In Piggybacking
In all the changes that I have made this year I have been learning the importance of "piggybacking". Piggybacking is when you butt one thing after the other and save because it is already heated up. For example... to dry one load of laundry after the other and save because the dryer is already heated up. Another way I have piggybacked my savings is when I roast my coffee beans. I roast what I need for that week...one batch after the other. A third way that I can think of right off the bat is piggybacking while baking or cooking with the oven. Get the biggest bang for your buck by baking several things together and right after the other. In the winter time it is also a nice way to raise the temperature a little in your house. I guess you can say it is like multi-tasking your energy use and save. 
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Now to join in the fun of Tightwad Tuesday....
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Link your TWT post click on MckLinky and give exact the URL of your post. (each Tuesday that you join in on the fun)
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example of a URL ...
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Canadagirl/693425/
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Now go ahead link and read and comment on all these other's wonderful TWT's.
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Lets save our pennies, nickles, dimes, and dollars together !
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"There are only a few big ways to save money but there are many small ways ....that all adds up."
Nov. 9, 2009 - Still Here!!
Martina Carrying Breakfast on a Tray, 1904
"She did not know anything about a great many things,
but she knew a great deal about loving and cooking
and a woman can go far on that."
From A Tangled Web by L.M. Montgomery
I love that quote! It's so true! Loving and cooking(which go hand in hand) wraps up what we as moms do every day!
Nothing else is as important.
And if I have any readers left out there,
I am still around, occasionally. Life is full this year and blogging seems to have taken a back seat.
I always have many, many ideas for blogging, but alas, at the end of the day I cannot bear to sit in front of my computer screen.
I make no promises to be here more frequently, that would be in vain.
But I will post when the Lord gives me something to say and I can snatch away a few moments of time(like now as I'm waiting for the lasagne to defrost).
As for the goings on around here:
- A couple of weeks ago Hubby(who did most of it) and I did some bulk cooking and have 30 meals in our freezer! Yeah!
- My sweet Baby has turned one and learned to walk. Fun times!(Busy times!)
- We are well into school, although not moving as fast through our Canada studies as I hoped. I may also need to re-evaluated my son's science curriculum as it seems to be quite challenging.
- The kids have been enjoying a homeschoolers ice-skating group on Fridays.
- Dd just finished a session of horseback riding lessons and the instructor said she was a 'natural'.
- The boys continue to make 'stop-motion' Lego movies with the camera and I have to weed through their hundreds of pictures to find the ones that I took!
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- I'm reading Bleak House by Charles Dickens, it's incredibly thick and I'll need to renew it a few times before I'm done!
- Hubby and I celebrated 15 years of wedded bliss in September!
- God continues to provide for us in the way of hand-me-down clothing. He is so faithful!
Blessings!
November 8, 2009 - Birthday
My littlest girl and my step-daughter happen to have the same birthday. It's so much fun to celebrate two birthdays on one day. It makes it a little more like Christmas because it's not all about one child. Our girls are so cute about wanting to surprise their sisters and be involved in the party preparations. This year we started having the older ones pay for their own gift out of their piggy bank. It's a wonderful experience for them. They are really thoughtful, yet frugal in their choices. Well, here are some pictures of the celebration.
Nov. 8, 2009 - A New Adventure for Our Family
We are in the process of adopting Kate from Latvia. She is a handicap girl who dresses herself with her teeth. She will be visiting us during Christmas. The orphanage doesn't want her any longer. They were putting her through training courses to learn "independent living" so they could ship her out. She is only ten years old. How do you live independently when you can only use your mouth to dress yourself, let alone use the bathroom? Her fate is certain death if she stays. The orphanage complained that she was too much for them to lift any longer. Our hearts hurt for Kate. If you would like to help us adopt her, send a check in care of Kate to :
Open Door Adoption
PHONE: (229) 228-6339 EMAIL: opendoor@rose.net
P.O. Box 4 218 E. Jackson Street
Thomasville, GA 31799
Thanks!!
This is a picture of her at eight years old. She is now ten years old.
November 6, 2009 - Medical Day
It was a medical day today.
The Shots
I gave in and got the H1N1 vaccine for two of my daughters (my oldest and youngest) and for me, complete with Thermisol (mercury) for my older daughter and me. I have very well-managed asthma that has occasionally gone totally South on me in the past. Real misery. 30-40% reading on my peak flow meter kind of stuff. And my eight year old has CVS, which she has gotten sick before from a cold and it causes her to not be able to keep things down at all, once for almost a week. So, despite my misgivings, and outrage at them STILL putting things like Thermisol in our vaccines, I got the vaccine. My littlest daughter got the one without thermisol, but it was "unavailable" to us who are older. We even had a flu like thing come through our house, but not everyone got it and it wasn't that strong or long-lasting, so I'm figuring it wasn't H1N1.
In the end I just figured I was going to worry about which was the right decision and I'd just get the vaccine and then put the worry behind me.
Abigail was cute as can be. Kids were there screaming before they even got the shot, just in anticipation. She, at first didn't know what was going on. Then I got a shot and Natalie (8) got a shot and then I picked up Abigail (2) to hold her. What a smarty she is. I pulled her sleeve down to bare it and she immediately grabbed her upper arm muscle to cover it. So smart. We all feel alright so far.
Dentist
Jon went to the dentist. We belong to an HMO. He called for a dental cleaning and they told him it was three months or today. So, he took today. In customary fashion, nothing wrong with his teeth. I tell you, he brushes his teeth so fast and only once a day and isn't consistent about flossing. But, never any cavities or any other problems. He tells them about the difference between him and I. I don't know why Jon tells me these things, but he tells me he says they say it's just how you take care of your teeth. He tells them about how many cavities I have gotten when pregnant. They tell him that extra cavities associated with pregnancy have only to do with being distracted. You have got to be kidding??? These people just frost me! (Am I not supposed to say that on a blog?) I brush my teeth like a maniac when I'm pregnant. They tell Jon there is no nutritional basis for cavities and that teeth cannot have minerals leached from them. What are they smoking??? (Am I not supposed to say that either?) I suppose weak teeth have no possible connection with weak bones either...as in how badly I broke my wrist... Oh...my, I do need to brush my teeth like crazy. That's true. But, it is my belief that I have some genetic thing going on with both my teeth and my bones and my moods that I best do something about. The medical community can be so narrow minded sometimes. Medicine + a thoughtful (rather than bureaucratic) look at nutrition = powerful. Medicine the way it is = unhelpful.
Nov. 6, 2009 - That Red Hair
Well, the baby's is more of wispy red hair and fuzz, but anyway.
God cares about such small details as the color of our hair. He even knows how many hairs are on our heads. It's rather amazing when you think about it. He is so big and magnificent and we are so nothing, yet He cares about such a silly thing as what color I hoped my baby's hair would be. He used Faith's red hair to remind me of this gentle love and care recently when I was pushing away from Him.
There is an area of my life that I had taken back from Him. I know he wants ALL of me and I consciously began to refuse to submit in an area. I was miserable, trying to hide from Him. It made me grumpy and depressed to live that way. But He loves me anyway. When I was playing with baby's hair, He whispered to me that He gave her that color in answer to my prayer. His quiet voice persists and asks me to trust Him, to turn it all back over, to let go.
And I have.
And there is peace.
And every time I see that red hair on my little girl I will be reminded of His love and that I can trust Him.
I don't have to be in control.
Nov. 5, 2009 - Grumpy Math Club Member
This year Rebecca decided to do math club. She is in high school now and so the math is TRICKY. She, being the perfectionist that she is, came out of class today in a rather foul mood. Methinks it has something to do with the review they had of a recent contest the team competed in. She was not happy on that day either. I'm just sayin' there may be a connection somewhere...
Oct. 31, 2009 - Dancin' GRITS Neon Dance Party
We have long since outgrown Trick or Treating and Halloween has become somewhat of an awkward holiday. It was never really a favorite of mine (although the loads of candy was cool) and now that my kids are all teens it's almost an annoying "holiday".
This year was a bit different, however, because the girls got to go to a dance! Rather than doing the costume thing and having a plethora of "thou shalt not's", the organizers decided to employ black lights and have a "who is the brightest" contest. It was soooo much fun!
The kids have recently become card game aficionados and the idea of dressing with a deck of cards theme was enthusiastically embraced. They spent a couple of hours creating their assigned/chosen card and this was the result.
Josh was supposed to be the jack of clubs, but he decided to hang out with some buddies instead.
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