If you don't own a hand held Kindle then just click on one of the links below and look below the price where it says: "Don't own a Kindle?". It will download an app on your computer which allows you to read any Kindle book right from your own computer. There are so many great deals in the Kindle books and many are free. You can bookmark your page and also make notes. Very cool!
The ones I've listed below are FREE. Enjoy!
Does God Control Everything? Can I have joy in my life? Can I be sure I'm saved? Can I know God's will? Does prayer change things? How should I live in this world? What can I do with my guilt? What does it mean to be born again? What is baptism? What is the trinity? What is faith? Who is Jesus
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Keeping cool without A/C
I should clarify that even though I don't have A/C I do have 2 window air conditioners and ceiling fans. It still gets very warm on days that are near or over the 90's. So, I'm looking for ways to keep the house cool which will also help with my electric bill.
Cooking in my kitchen heats up the entire house ... even if I cook early in the morning. So, I'm finding alternative ways to make my meals by developing a routine to cook outside. I have a propane camp stove (high powered that I purchased at Bass Pro), a very large toaster oven and a crock-pot. I use the propane stove on the patio and the toaster oven inside my garage along with the crock-pot.I also have one electrical burner that was given to me last week.
It's a little inconvenient to cook my meals outside. I think over time I'll come up with an easy routine. I use a large tray to carry my food items out to the stove. I set a TV tray next to the camp stove for my utensils and plates. I take notice what keeps me running back and forth to the house and look for ways to reduce my steps. As a result I decided to leave a couple of potholders in the garage along with a few cooking utensils.
Cooking outside makes a huge difference when it comes to keeping my house cool.
The second thing I do is to watch where the sun is hitting my windows and keep the curtains drawn. I realized the sun hit my kitchen windows until around 10 o'clock. I had a burgundy sheet in good condition so I made half drapes and found 2 tension rods. I keep the bottom part of the curtain up until the sun stops shining on that side of the house and then I take them down.
Thirdly, I ,like to take advantage of the cool air outside so I open up the windows in the early morning hours and allow the air to flow inside. Once the air outside starts turning warm I close all my windows to trap the cool air.
Fourthly, I use small personal table fans in several of my rooms. I have a small table fan in my kitchen, office, bathroom and next to my bed. Oftentimes I can use the small fan in place of the ceiling fan which I believe costs less electricity.Last night I was warm but my husband was not so I was able to turn the small fan on next to my bed and save using the overhead fan.
Lastly, I wear lighter clothes on hot days. It's amazing the difference between wearing capri's and a long pair of pants. I've collected a few light cotton tops for the summer which really help. Putting my hair up helps, too.
I read last week to run some water in your bathtub about ankle deep and to dip your feet when you get too warm. I haven't tried it yet but I think it would help.
How about you? Could you add anything to this list?
Cooking in my kitchen heats up the entire house ... even if I cook early in the morning. So, I'm finding alternative ways to make my meals by developing a routine to cook outside. I have a propane camp stove (high powered that I purchased at Bass Pro), a very large toaster oven and a crock-pot. I use the propane stove on the patio and the toaster oven inside my garage along with the crock-pot.I also have one electrical burner that was given to me last week.
It's a little inconvenient to cook my meals outside. I think over time I'll come up with an easy routine. I use a large tray to carry my food items out to the stove. I set a TV tray next to the camp stove for my utensils and plates. I take notice what keeps me running back and forth to the house and look for ways to reduce my steps. As a result I decided to leave a couple of potholders in the garage along with a few cooking utensils.
Cooking outside makes a huge difference when it comes to keeping my house cool.
The second thing I do is to watch where the sun is hitting my windows and keep the curtains drawn. I realized the sun hit my kitchen windows until around 10 o'clock. I had a burgundy sheet in good condition so I made half drapes and found 2 tension rods. I keep the bottom part of the curtain up until the sun stops shining on that side of the house and then I take them down.
Thirdly, I ,like to take advantage of the cool air outside so I open up the windows in the early morning hours and allow the air to flow inside. Once the air outside starts turning warm I close all my windows to trap the cool air.
Fourthly, I use small personal table fans in several of my rooms. I have a small table fan in my kitchen, office, bathroom and next to my bed. Oftentimes I can use the small fan in place of the ceiling fan which I believe costs less electricity.Last night I was warm but my husband was not so I was able to turn the small fan on next to my bed and save using the overhead fan.
Lastly, I wear lighter clothes on hot days. It's amazing the difference between wearing capri's and a long pair of pants. I've collected a few light cotton tops for the summer which really help. Putting my hair up helps, too.
I read last week to run some water in your bathtub about ankle deep and to dip your feet when you get too warm. I haven't tried it yet but I think it would help.
How about you? Could you add anything to this list?
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Free Book for Mother's Day!
I hope that you have a wonderful Mother's Day. The Duties of Parents was one of my favorite books when I was training my children. Here is a free Ebook to enjoy!
Duties of Parents
Duties of Parents
* Posters.com
Friday, May 3, 2013
Exhausted from making extra money?
I've found that it's a balancing act when I try to make extra money. It doesn't really matter if it's outside my home or projects IN my home. Too many hours added on top of an already full job taking care of my home and husband can begin to feel like a pressure cooker and I'm the one with the short fuse.
I've had some experience making extra money. I've done ironing, sewing, typing, babysitting and foster care all from home. I started my own used homeschool book business and ran it for 10 years. These are all things I did while my children were under 18 years of age. Recently, I've worked part time outside the home when my husband became disabled. I currently work 2 days a week/3 hours a day. I've never worked full time outside my home.
A few months ago I realized that working 5 days a week (even though it was part time) was putting me into a 'zone' where I was tempted to be irritable with my husband. We talked about it and decided to cut back my schedule to 6 hours a week. (There were other things that counted towards this decision too). This has been the perfect amount of hours for me. I'd rather pinch pennies at home and work less hours and have peace in my home. Better to do with less. God gave us wisdom to know when to quit!
How about you? Did you start any new projects this week to save money? I appreciated your good advice for saving money on flea meds.
I've had some experience making extra money. I've done ironing, sewing, typing, babysitting and foster care all from home. I started my own used homeschool book business and ran it for 10 years. These are all things I did while my children were under 18 years of age. Recently, I've worked part time outside the home when my husband became disabled. I currently work 2 days a week/3 hours a day. I've never worked full time outside my home.
A few months ago I realized that working 5 days a week (even though it was part time) was putting me into a 'zone' where I was tempted to be irritable with my husband. We talked about it and decided to cut back my schedule to 6 hours a week. (There were other things that counted towards this decision too). This has been the perfect amount of hours for me. I'd rather pinch pennies at home and work less hours and have peace in my home. Better to do with less. God gave us wisdom to know when to quit!
Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.
Be wise enough to know when to quit. Proverbs 23:4 NLT
Be wise enough to know when to quit. Proverbs 23:4 NLT
(I wrote an article on home businesses here).
How I saved money this week at home:
1. I made a list of leftovers and posted it on the fridge door. I lost a bowl of coleslaw last week and found it too late. Money down the drain. I plan to write any leftovers that go into the fridge on this list and check it before dinner each night.
2. I've harvested spinach, strawberries and broccoli from my garden. YAY!
3. We've been pulling a weed out of our front lawn hoping that we won't have to spend $25 on a weed fertilizer.
4. We don't have central heat and air so I'm always looking for ways to keep the house cool. I've been cooking outside on a camp stove when it's hot. I have a high BTU camp stove and also a large counter top oven in the garage.
3. We've been pulling a weed out of our front lawn hoping that we won't have to spend $25 on a weed fertilizer.
4. We don't have central heat and air so I'm always looking for ways to keep the house cool. I've been cooking outside on a camp stove when it's hot. I have a high BTU camp stove and also a large counter top oven in the garage.
 |
| Boiling egg shells for liquid fertilizer |
5. I made my own tartar sauce (for the fish I fried on my outdoor grill). Mayo, ketchup and pickle relish.
6. I've been buying 2 boxes of canning lids from each paycheck so I'll have a nice stash by the time canning season hits.
7. I packed away the electric blanket for the summer. My mother always taught me to not sit on electric blankets and store them away when not in use to help them last longer.
8. My mother gave me some flowers from her yard. FREE landscaping.
How about you? Did you start any new projects this week to save money? I appreciated your good advice for saving money on flea meds.
Friday, April 19, 2013
How I saved money this week (and the freedom of living with LESS)
If you have been following our story then you know that we have downsized from 2700 sq. ft. to 748 sq. ft. I've given away and sold enough items to fill another house.
The older I get the less I can tolerate clutter in my own home. Your clutter would not bother me. :-) It feels good when each item has it's own assigned place. That is my goal but I'm not there yet.
I have 2 small closets and one antique closet/dresser. All three closets are too full. My office closet has been bothering me the most because my clothes were squished from 1 large Tupperware tub filled with scraps of fabric along with 2 Avon boxes. I've wrestled with whether to keep the fabric for the past 5 moves. I kept talking myself out of getting rid of it because I kept hoping that someday I would make some quilts.
So last Saturday I set aside the afternoon to work on cutting out some quilt pieces. I spent hours cutting fabric and ended up nearly finishing just one square. I thought I would be so happy to get started on the quilt but by the time I finished I was not a happy camper. One finished large Depression Block (plus a lot more cut squares) = 3-4 hours of time I'll never get back = one disappointed Mama.
I'm middle aged and the writing is on the wall.. I'm getting older. I must be wise how I spend my hours because they add up to days which quickly become years. I have less time left on this earth than I've already lived. How will I spend my last days so they will count for eternity? Sewing quilts are not a sin. I just don't want to spend that much time on a hobby these days. As much as I've loved making quilts in previous years I'm not willing to invest that many hours again.
So after struggling back and forth for several days I made up my mind that the small scraps of fabric were going. I saved some larger pieces of fabric to make some aprons and curtains for the garage. those are quick projects. I ended up with one final tub of fabric which will be stored in the garage.
My clothes are no longer crowded in the closet. I can't tell you how good it feels to open my closet doors and not have everything crammed and squished together. It feels GOOD! Really GOOD!
I've learned a big lesson through these fabric tubs. I have wrestled with them for nearly 5 years. I have invested precious time into thinking about them and debating over them. I've invested time and energy into lifting them from one house to another house for 5 moves over the past 8 years. They have stolen precious time from my life. Now that I finally got rid of them I feel as if a heavy burden has been lifted! It feels GOOD! Really GOOD!
I'm so jazzed! This next week I hope to tackle the other 2 closets. If it doesn't fit easily in the space the Lord has given me then it's out of here!
Here are a few things I did in my home this week to save money:
1. I went on several morning and evening snail hunts. My veggies had the obvious sign that snails were enjoying them for lunch. I started going out in the early mornings and turning over leaves and boards and found a ton of snails. The more snails I kill the better my veggies are looking.
2. A friend brought by 3 cartons of home grown eggs.
3. My mother had some extra 'dragon tale' flowers. I gladly took them along with some nasturtiums to keep bugs down in my vegetable garden. I've rarely bought flowers over the years. There is always someone willing to share slips of small starts of flowers. It turns your yard into a memory garden.
4. I made a fertilizer out of 20 egg shells that I boiled for 10 minutes. I then let it set for 8 hours. The fertilizer was poured on my tomatoes.
5. I purchased a comfrey root off of Ebay for $15. I read that the leaves make a wonderful fertilizer. My goal is to make my own fertilizer from products I have at home. I think it will pay for itself in no time. I'm also hoping that it will multiply so I can sell my own roots.
6. I have 2 cats and 1 dog. They started scratching so I figured they were getting fleas. I didn't want to pay $45 for flea medicine plus it's not healthy. I purchased a flea comb and immediately caught 5 fleas off of one cat and 1 flea off the other. I kept a small bowl of water nearby while I was combing. Once I saw a flea I would dip the comb into the water. They are no longer scratching. The comb is not working as well on my dogs long hair so I'm not sure what to do with her. I haven't found any fleas but she does scratch occasionally. Maybe I'll give her a bath. I wash their bedding once a week which also helps keep the flea problem under control.
7. I hemmed a pair of pants I bought for $1 from Goodwill.
8. I made kale and sausage soup. The kale was from my garden.
9. I sauteed sugar snap peas in butter and garlic until they were soft. The sugar snap peas are from my garden,too. The vines are full and I've already used them in 2 meals.
10. I signed up with a local CSA. I paid $25 for the first box of organic vegetables. I cancelled after the first box arrived because it was mostly items to make salads. I love salads but I'm the only one who eats them. It's probably a great deal for organic veggies but that is why I don't purchase organic unless it's the same price as the regular veggies. I just can't afford it.
It's a busy time of year with the watering and pulling weeds in our garden. I love working in my yard.
So what did you do this week to save money in your home?
-
The older I get the less I can tolerate clutter in my own home. Your clutter would not bother me. :-) It feels good when each item has it's own assigned place. That is my goal but I'm not there yet.
I have 2 small closets and one antique closet/dresser. All three closets are too full. My office closet has been bothering me the most because my clothes were squished from 1 large Tupperware tub filled with scraps of fabric along with 2 Avon boxes. I've wrestled with whether to keep the fabric for the past 5 moves. I kept talking myself out of getting rid of it because I kept hoping that someday I would make some quilts.
So last Saturday I set aside the afternoon to work on cutting out some quilt pieces. I spent hours cutting fabric and ended up nearly finishing just one square. I thought I would be so happy to get started on the quilt but by the time I finished I was not a happy camper. One finished large Depression Block (plus a lot more cut squares) = 3-4 hours of time I'll never get back = one disappointed Mama.
 |
| Kale |
I'm middle aged and the writing is on the wall.. I'm getting older. I must be wise how I spend my hours because they add up to days which quickly become years. I have less time left on this earth than I've already lived. How will I spend my last days so they will count for eternity? Sewing quilts are not a sin. I just don't want to spend that much time on a hobby these days. As much as I've loved making quilts in previous years I'm not willing to invest that many hours again.
So after struggling back and forth for several days I made up my mind that the small scraps of fabric were going. I saved some larger pieces of fabric to make some aprons and curtains for the garage. those are quick projects. I ended up with one final tub of fabric which will be stored in the garage.
My clothes are no longer crowded in the closet. I can't tell you how good it feels to open my closet doors and not have everything crammed and squished together. It feels GOOD! Really GOOD!
I've learned a big lesson through these fabric tubs. I have wrestled with them for nearly 5 years. I have invested precious time into thinking about them and debating over them. I've invested time and energy into lifting them from one house to another house for 5 moves over the past 8 years. They have stolen precious time from my life. Now that I finally got rid of them I feel as if a heavy burden has been lifted! It feels GOOD! Really GOOD!
I'm so jazzed! This next week I hope to tackle the other 2 closets. If it doesn't fit easily in the space the Lord has given me then it's out of here!
Here are a few things I did in my home this week to save money:
1. I went on several morning and evening snail hunts. My veggies had the obvious sign that snails were enjoying them for lunch. I started going out in the early mornings and turning over leaves and boards and found a ton of snails. The more snails I kill the better my veggies are looking.
2. A friend brought by 3 cartons of home grown eggs.
3. My mother had some extra 'dragon tale' flowers. I gladly took them along with some nasturtiums to keep bugs down in my vegetable garden. I've rarely bought flowers over the years. There is always someone willing to share slips of small starts of flowers. It turns your yard into a memory garden.
4. I made a fertilizer out of 20 egg shells that I boiled for 10 minutes. I then let it set for 8 hours. The fertilizer was poured on my tomatoes.
5. I purchased a comfrey root off of Ebay for $15. I read that the leaves make a wonderful fertilizer. My goal is to make my own fertilizer from products I have at home. I think it will pay for itself in no time. I'm also hoping that it will multiply so I can sell my own roots.
6. I have 2 cats and 1 dog. They started scratching so I figured they were getting fleas. I didn't want to pay $45 for flea medicine plus it's not healthy. I purchased a flea comb and immediately caught 5 fleas off of one cat and 1 flea off the other. I kept a small bowl of water nearby while I was combing. Once I saw a flea I would dip the comb into the water. They are no longer scratching. The comb is not working as well on my dogs long hair so I'm not sure what to do with her. I haven't found any fleas but she does scratch occasionally. Maybe I'll give her a bath. I wash their bedding once a week which also helps keep the flea problem under control.
7. I hemmed a pair of pants I bought for $1 from Goodwill.
8. I made kale and sausage soup. The kale was from my garden.
9. I sauteed sugar snap peas in butter and garlic until they were soft. The sugar snap peas are from my garden,too. The vines are full and I've already used them in 2 meals.
10. I signed up with a local CSA. I paid $25 for the first box of organic vegetables. I cancelled after the first box arrived because it was mostly items to make salads. I love salads but I'm the only one who eats them. It's probably a great deal for organic veggies but that is why I don't purchase organic unless it's the same price as the regular veggies. I just can't afford it.
It's a busy time of year with the watering and pulling weeds in our garden. I love working in my yard.
So what did you do this week to save money in your home?
-
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Do you really need it?
Have you ever visited someone's home and found yourself leaving dissatisfied? Suddenly your furniture looks old and worn out. You realize your decorations are outdated. The contentment you had before you left your house in the morning has gone kaput! You feel a restlessness, discontentment.. a desire for more.
The American way to 'ease' the uncomfortableness of those feelings is to go buy something new. And it works. Temporarily. The restless monster within has been appeased and we're happy with our new purchases. Temporarily. Until the bill for the purchases arrive! Or until the next new item hits the T.V. commercials. Or until we see someone in need and we have no money to help them. Or until an emergency arrives and we find that we don't have any savings. Then we hate ourselves for giving in to those desires.
I've been reading through the book of 1 John this month. This scripture continues to jump off the page:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world - the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride in possessions- is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:15-17 ESV (emphasis mine)
I am slowly seeing that the American Dream of buying bigger and better and more is NOT the life we are commanded to live in scripture.
But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 1 Timothy 6:8
Look around your home right now and take an inventory of what you own TODAY. I'm just looking at my 'extra' bedroom where I am sitting as I write. I have a large desk, chair, full bed, a closet full of clothes, a ceiling fan, sewing machine, 2 tall bookshelves (crammed with books), office supplies, 2 bins of material in the closet, a computer and a printer, a small closet full of my clothes, etc., etc., etc. I am way beyond food and clothing.Now the question is... am I content?
Am I content TODAY with what God has given? Or do I feel like I need just one more thing to make me happy. (If I only had that new throw rug for my living room floor THEN I wouldn't need to buy anything else. Of if I only could buy those slats for the cyclone fence THEN I wouldn't need to buy anything else!).
Nope! Food and clothing is the dividing line!
If we are focused on the things of this world then chances are we will not be focused on the things of the Lord.
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Matthew 6:24
Imagine what we could do with all that extra money we spend on stuff each paycheck. It still adds up even if it's the few extra things from the dollar store. Many believers say they have no extra money to help the poor but if we really added up all the little extra's we buy I bet we'd be surprised what we could give to those who are in need.
For today... can I be content? Can I do without buying anything extra for just one week besides food and clothing? Can I say to the 'desire of my eyes' that I have enough and I will be content with what God has given me!
By God's grace .... I will!
How about you? Do you struggle with these issues? What kind of things do you say to yourself when you compare your home to others?
The American way to 'ease' the uncomfortableness of those feelings is to go buy something new. And it works. Temporarily. The restless monster within has been appeased and we're happy with our new purchases. Temporarily. Until the bill for the purchases arrive! Or until the next new item hits the T.V. commercials. Or until we see someone in need and we have no money to help them. Or until an emergency arrives and we find that we don't have any savings. Then we hate ourselves for giving in to those desires.
I've been reading through the book of 1 John this month. This scripture continues to jump off the page:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world - the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride in possessions- is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:15-17 ESV (emphasis mine)
I am slowly seeing that the American Dream of buying bigger and better and more is NOT the life we are commanded to live in scripture.
But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 1 Timothy 6:8
Look around your home right now and take an inventory of what you own TODAY. I'm just looking at my 'extra' bedroom where I am sitting as I write. I have a large desk, chair, full bed, a closet full of clothes, a ceiling fan, sewing machine, 2 tall bookshelves (crammed with books), office supplies, 2 bins of material in the closet, a computer and a printer, a small closet full of my clothes, etc., etc., etc. I am way beyond food and clothing.Now the question is... am I content?
Am I content TODAY with what God has given? Or do I feel like I need just one more thing to make me happy. (If I only had that new throw rug for my living room floor THEN I wouldn't need to buy anything else. Of if I only could buy those slats for the cyclone fence THEN I wouldn't need to buy anything else!).
Nope! Food and clothing is the dividing line!
If we are focused on the things of this world then chances are we will not be focused on the things of the Lord.
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Matthew 6:24
Imagine what we could do with all that extra money we spend on stuff each paycheck. It still adds up even if it's the few extra things from the dollar store. Many believers say they have no extra money to help the poor but if we really added up all the little extra's we buy I bet we'd be surprised what we could give to those who are in need.
For today... can I be content? Can I do without buying anything extra for just one week besides food and clothing? Can I say to the 'desire of my eyes' that I have enough and I will be content with what God has given me!
By God's grace .... I will!
How about you? Do you struggle with these issues? What kind of things do you say to yourself when you compare your home to others?
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
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