Hello! Welcome to my blog! To borrow from a well-known saying: The family that plays, schools, and prays together - stays together. This is our family together.

Please feel free to hang around, leave a comment, and make suggestions. We can all learn from each other. :)


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Aug. 7, 2009 - Google Voice - Interesting Premise Have you heard about GOOGLE VOICE?  It's a free service that gives you one phone number that you can keep forever, no matter where you go, work, or move.  You get your Google number, then "tie" it to however many phone numbers you want.  You can use your home phone, cell phone, and work phone.  You can decide which/how many of your phones ring when someone calls your Google number.  It also comes with a free voice mail service that you can pick up by phone or online.  That's the concept I find interesting.  If you have a pay-as-you-go cell phone, you could use this free service to hear any voice messages, and not spend your minutes on it.  (We have a prepaid cell phone, but it's only for emergencies and we spend $10 a month on it, so really, this doesn't matter to us.  We've never even set up the voice mail for it, so people couldn't leave messages, even if they wanted to.  Still, I can see where this would be useful to some people.) There's a video on the website that explains it more, plus a lot of links with more info.  I am intrigued by the concept.  Of course, I'm also wary.  I can see what Google meant when they said they wanted to know more about you than you do.  I think Google may really be out to take over the world.  :P

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Aug. 4, 2009 - Since I've Always Failed Miserably At Tomato Growing... I wonder if I should give this - MAKE YOUR OWN TOPSY TURVY TOMATO PLANTER - a try? I do know a few people who claim their Topsy Turvy planters work wonderfully well.

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Aug. 2, 2009 - More Curbside Shopping Yesterday, as we were leaving for shopping, we saw that a family on our block was moving out, loading their belongings onto a U-Haul.  I hope that they were moving for a good reason, but I'm not entirely certain.  By late afternoon, they were gone, having left behind a lot of furniture on the curb.  We picked up two end tables, one small bedside-type table, and some plastic shelving.  None of these things is in very good condition, but my husband is going to clean it all up to use for better organizing things we keep in our garage. Another neighbor took a desk and two plastic chairs, and someone else took several bags of clothes.  Later, as I was out walking our dogs, a young man in an old pick-up pulled up and took everything else.  He didn't even stop to sort it.  I'm assuming he takes things somewhere else, then figures out what he can sell. Certainly, this latest "find" doesn't come close to the giant TV we got a few weeks ago, but again, it will go to good use, and didn't cost us anything but the labor of carrying it home and the time it will take to clean it.

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Jul. 31, 2009 - Making Lined Curtains Lined curtains can help block out heat and light, and lower your electricity bills. THIS ARTICLE explains making lined curtains. Just to note, the article talks of spending $500 to make 8 curtain panels. You do not need to spend nearly as much, obviously. Look for fabrics on sale, or consider re-using materials, such as bedsheets. (I know that probably makes some people cringe, but you don't have to tack up old 70s floral sheets to your windows! You may, however, have some plain sheets, in white or any other color, which would actually work well. When my son was young, we wanted yellow curtains for his bedroom, and it turned out purchasing 1 yellow, full-sized flat sheet was the best bargain with the closest color match, and it provided all the fabric I needed, after I paired it with thermal lining.) We only have 6 windows in our house, plus one sliding-glass door, so it wasn't too time or money consuming to make coverings for each, and we've even been able to change curtains to match a new paint job in three of our rooms recently.  HERE'S some more info on making window treatments, in general, including NO-SEW CURTAINS for those who would like to make curtains, but don't know how/like to sew.

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Jul. 23, 2009 - Florida Scorpions *Shudder* We found a scorpion in the kitchen this morning.  My husband killed it with a shoe.  Yick.  It's been some time since we've seen one, though we used to more often when some new houses were being built in the area.  The thing about scorpions here is that they *aren't* deadly; their sting is much like a bee or wasp.  Painful, yes.  Fatal, no.   But they're just so... creepy.  Palmetto bugs don't even bother me the way scorpions do. And ordinarily, my husband's the kind of guy to capture bugs and release them outside, but he was concerned one of our dogs (both small - each of them is only about 10 pounds) would spot it in the yard and get too close. As of now, we aren't going to do anything more about it.  If we get more showing up, we'll probably consider spraying around the house. I read an article a little while back talking about how "overprotective" parents have become since we never let our kids "run free and barefoot" any more.  And all I could think when I read it was, this lady doesn't live in anything even close to a rural area.  We've got snakes, poisonous spiders, scorpions, not to mention, yes, we've even had gators show up in the neighborhood, so, no, we don't go out without our shoes on.  (Well, I don't guess shoes will do much against a gator...., except help you run away!)   And while we're surrounded by undeveloped areas, it would probably be pushing it to call us "rural," though we are 8 miles from the closest commercial development.  We're more like semi-rural, if that's a legitimate classification.   In any case, natural hazards aside, my own parents let me run free and barefoot for years, until I sliced the bottom of my foot open from toes to heel on a piece of glass from a broken beer bottle.  That'll change your whole perspective on the barefoot thing really fast!  I still have a scar from it.  Scorpions may give me the willies, but I do recognize that they won't kill us.  It's the broken glass, rusty nails, and other left behind garbage that should give any parent pause to the idea of running around shoeless, no matter how "carefree" and happy the idea behind it may be.

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Jul. 23, 2009 - What's the hardest thing about making soap? Waiting for it to "cure" so you can use it!  Every day I go into the kitchen and look at all these soaps my daughter has made and think, hasn't three weeks gone by yet?  :) Today she made two types of soap that are supposed to be good for your skin - a milk and honey bar that's mild and softens skin, and an almond bar that's supposed to exfoliate and help unclog pores. She's planning to launch her store/website at the beginning of August and is already talking about working craft shows with me this fall.  I don't think she's going to make a fortune, but I do believe she'll do all right; make back the money she's invested and make a small profit.  She's chosen some nice scents and colors, and as I mentioned at the start of this post, just *looking* at them makes you really want to try one out.

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Jul. 22, 2009 - Curbside Shopping File this one under, "They threw away what?" As I mentioned in a previous post, we don't watch a lot of TV, and only own two television sets.  Our "big" one measures a whopping 19 inches.  Both are so old they need the converter boxes to work now. My husband came inside Monday evening after walking the dogs and told our son to get the dolly from the garage and "follow him."  A short while later, I heard some noise in the garage, followed by our daughter calling me to come see the TV they'd just brought in. Someone on the next block had left a 50-inch Hitachi projection TV on the curb for Tuesday morning's large trash pickup. I surveyed this behemoth skeptically and asked, "Do you really think it works?" My husband, who is pretty handy, replied, "If it doesn't, I'll take it apart and see what's wrong.  If we can fix it cheaply, we will.  If not, we'll put an ad on Craig's List.  Someone will come and take it." So, he plugged it in and turned it on.  And it worked. Or, I should say, it works.  It's now sitting in our den.  As far as we can tell, the only thing really wrong with it is a greenish bar that runs through the screen when the screen is totally dark.  When a DVD is playing, you can't even see it.  It's so enormous, we had to completely rearrange the set-up of our den so we could get the sofa far enough back from it that we weren't feeling like we were sitting in the front row in a movie cinema.  We then had to rearrange the master bedroom to accommodate the TV cabinet and TV that used to be in the den. I've already told my kids if they show any signs of becoming couch potatoes, this thing *will* be going up on Craig's List, and I have to say, aside from getting a few movies from the library this morning, rather than just one like usual, they haven't gone crazy yet, anyway. My husband now can't wait for football season to start. All we can figure is our neighbors must've gotten a new, fancy plasma TV or something, though in a working-class neighborhood like this one, that's a bit surprising.  But what we don't get is leaving this thing out for the trash.  Or, my theory is, expecting someone to take it like we did.  I don't know; maybe they were just being *really* generous?  Thing is, I checked Craig's List this morning, and people have this exact same TV listed for anywhere from $200 - $400.  Even if the previous owners had enough money to ditch this TV and buy another, why not sell this one and use the money for something worthwhile?  Or if it was just a matter of being generous, why not put up an ad on Craig's List or in the newspaper offering it for free to the first taker?  Leaving it outside, in Florida, in July, in the afternoon, they took a big risk of having it get drenched and probably ruined. My daughter offered the opinion that maybe they "had to move" and leave it behind.  Sadly, we've had several families leaving the neighborhood under not-so-good circumstances, and certainly someone losing their home through eviction or foreclosure might not be able to afford to cart off a TV that stands as tall as my shoulders, but if that were the case, then surely they would've sold it, because they needed the money? Over the years we've collected lots of things through "curbside shopping," including furniture and appliances.  This is just one more thing to add to the ever-growing list. I am happy to report that at this very moment, my kids, despite this new and impressive toy, are actually reading books they checked out from the library.  The TV is standing dark and quiet.  That said, we have plans to watch a movie together tonight after dinner, (with popcorn popped fresh on the stove top, natch!)  I'm betting The Fellowship of the Ring will look pretty magnificent.   :)

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Jul. 20, 2009 - Hope Chests for the Modern Age The first time I ever heard of a hope chest, I was reading a fiction book as a child and I was fascinated by the idea.  I can also remember my mother telling me how she and her sister had saved their pennies and bought their silverware one spoon at a time as they were growing up. Although my husband and I, who were high school sweethearts, went into our marriage with only that which we got as wedding gifts, I always thought I would do some sort of hope chest for any children I had, and the idea stuck with me. In our garage there are several hope chests.... er, bins.  :)  In them you will find some dishes, some pots and pans, miscellaneous cookware, tablecloths, fabric (for curtains), and various other things we have bought over the years from garage sales and other places.  My personal goal is to make sure that both my children have as complete-as-possible kitchens when they move into their first homes/apartments. We also recently decided we are going to start watching Craig's List and garage sales for deals on queen-sized headboards/rails.  Our kids currently sleep on twins, but we'd like to be able to have larger beds ready for them when they move, though we'll hold off on mattresses until the time comes.  That, and if we find any tables for a really good price, that can be easily stored, we'll get them, too. They will already need the money for deposits and whatnot; at least we can help out with the stocking/furnishing as much as possible this way. So, while no, we (sadly) don't have some beautifully made wood/cedar lined chest full of delicate lace curtains and monogrammed pillow cases, I guess this is the next best thing. Now, I just need to start working on the other idea I always loved - a family cookbook with all their favorite recipes that they can also take with them.

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Jul. 18, 2009 - It's funny how being off-schedule can make you so... off. My husband was called in to work today, so we did not go shopping.  He will be stopping on the way home by himself to pick up a few things (butter and baking soda) we will need for tomorrow, but we will be doing the big part of our shopping on Monday.  Because of this, I do not have my typical afternoon meal-planning to do, nor any bulk cooking.  It feels like... a day off?  :)  The kids are reading right now, and we will be doing lessons shortly, to make up for what we will miss on Monday, but it still makes the day feel strange and off, somehow.

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Jul. 17, 2009 - For That Which We Are Thankful I don't suppose many people (Americans, in any case) would be terribly impressed with our home.  It's small - about 1650 sq ft.  It's in a neighborhood where people don't always mow the lawn and others decorate theirs in... unusual ways.  (We live near a woman who must have the largest collection of garden gnomes in the state.  And in Florida - that's saying something.) Our furniture is almost entirely second-hand and "eclectic" is the nicest way to describe it.  Mis-matched would be more accurate. A lot of our "artwork"  is merely inexpensive prints in inexpensive frames, often found at garage sales.  Or it's something the kids made themselves. The rag-rug in our kitchen was made by me in shades of blue that do not at all match the red and white towels or the yellow, red, green, and purple ceramic canisters, though I have been working on a new one.  Our stove has some dings on it; we bought it used. We have a television cabinet in our den that holds one of our two TVs.  We bought it from a warehouse that sold off used hotel furniture.  (It actually came from Disney's Wilderness Lodge, which is sort've neat.)  When you open the cabinet, you find a small TV surrounded by at least a foot of space on either side and several feet of space above, and this is our "big" television. There's no pool or built-in BBQ in our backyard.  Instead we have a vegetable patch, a rain barrel, and a clothes line.  When we barbecue something, we bring out our small, round charcoal grill and it goes back in the garage that night.  There's a chain-link fence enclosing the backyard, not a pretty wood one. There's only one car in the garage when it's home, and it's a 19yo VW Fox. And yet... our house is comfortable, and it's clean.  We follow a fairly strict routine to make sure that no matter how shabby something may very well be, it is kept well. Our pantry is full of food, not junk. Our house is full of love and laughter.  Dinnertime is always merry, with running jokes and funny stories. Last night, as we settled in for our nightly reading time, (We're just about to finish up The Two Towers.) I looked over at my daughter, who was cuddled up under a soft afghan I made her some time ago.  She was smiling, but blinking a little sleepily, and I realized again how very lucky we are. No, we don't have a lot of fancy things.  Really, we don't have pretty much *any* fancy things.  But we are healthy, and happy, and, as I said, full of love.  My daughter was sitting there, all cozy beneath her blanket, with a stomach full of oven-fried chicken, baked potato, steamed green beans, and biscuit.  My son - the teenage bottomless pit - soon joined us with a sandwich made from homemade bread, leftover ham and some shredded cheddar cheese, which he had heated in the little toaster oven on our counter.  And so we sat there, reading by the lamplight, and frankly, I wouldn't have our lives any other way.  Sure, I suppose I could go out and get a job and (possibly) increase our income, but the cost of that - taking me away from my children - is one that neither my husband nor I am at all willing to pay.  A job would take me away from teaching and cooking and gardening and cleaning.  A job would leave me too exhausted at night for an hour's reading.  A job would make me unavailable and I find that unacceptable. God has blessed us with a good marriage, two beautiful children, a small, but happy home, our health, and plenty of food to eat, and for that we are eternally thankful.

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Jul. 16, 2009 - Wal-Mart's "Free Samples" Page You can visit THIS PAGE at the Wal-Mart website to see a list of free samples you can send off for.  They can vary wildly, from feminine products to pet food to shampoo, but it's always worth an occasional look to see if there's something you can use. Read the terms carefully, though.  Some companies require that you respond to a survey after you've tried their product, and some put you on mailing lists, so watch for that, if you don't want either of those things to happen.

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Jul. 15, 2009 - Make Your Own Rain Barrel THIS SITE offers information on making your own rain barrel to collect water for watering your garden. (There's also a video you can watch.) And if you *really* want to be frugal about it, you can use THIS MAN'S "CHEAPEST RAIN BARREL" INSTRUCTIONS, though I wonder how long it would last. I don't think trash cans are designed to hold liquids for long periods of time, but I really have no basis for this theory so perhaps a good quality one would work. The water is already pouring out of the sky for free. You might as well collect it for use. :) Just a note - Be sure your barrel is covered in some way! Even though you shouldn't drink, cook, or bathe with this water, you still want to keep the bugs out. (And any young children or pets!) THIS is cute - how to paint your rain barrel. I'm too practical (my nice way of saying, "too cheap to spend the money on the paint") and non-artistic for this sort of thing, but it's certainly a creative idea.  You could even consider painting a rain barrel as a project with your kids.

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Jul. 11, 2009 - Weekly Budget and Staples Sale. Setting aside bills such as house payment, electricity, and internet, we have a $100 weekly budget.  This covers all food and non-food purchases.  In the summer, we usually come in under that amount, because we don't go to any garage sales.  (It's too hot!  I don't know if people are having them, but I'm sure not looking for any.)  Today we spent $72, and that covered all the food we bought, plus toilet paper, dog food, some shoe inserts for my husband, and a new candy thermometer, because our old one broke a few weeks ago.  In addition, we bought a few school supplies that were already marked down for back-to-school: a container of glue and a 3-pack of rulers.  Our old ruler is so worn, most of the numbers are unreadable.  Oh, and deodorant.  My husband works many hours of the week in an un-air conditioned warehouse and he insists that Arrid is the only deodorant that works for him. The good news is, this leaves us money to use on the Staples back-to-school sale starting tomorrow.  In particular, the copy paper that is 500 sheets for a penny (with something called an easy rebate.)  I have a teacher's ID number with them - easy to get, they accept homeschoolers and you can register online - which means I should be able to buy as many as 25 packs.  The thing is, I'm not entirely sure what an "easy rebate" is, vs. a mail-in rebate or an instant rebate.  The paper normally costs $3.69.  What I'm thinking is we could buy 10 packs, and go ahead and pay the $37 + tax for it, and then collect the rebate, however that works.  This would give us plenty of paper for the 2009-2010 school year, at a final cost of 10 cents.  Initially, this plan carries us over our weekly budget, but in the long run, we'll still be under. We've decided this price justifies a trip to Staples.  It's about 25 miles away, which, with our car, means about 1 3/4  gallons gas - or somewhere around $4.  The good thing is, the Staples is right next to a Michael's, so our daughter can go in and see if she would like to buy a new scent for her soap making.  Tomorrow, I'll pack a lunch in our cooler, so we can go up to the shopping center, directly after church.  The sales items are "first come, first serve" so I hope they have plenty! If you want to see the ad, go to the Staples main website - HERE - and click on "Weekly Ad" up in the upper-right-hand corner.  If it shows you the current ad, click on the tab called "sneak peak" to see the sales that start tomorrow.

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