Opening Hearts and Homes

I'm reading A Life Giving Home by Sally Clarkson and her daughter Sarah.

Over the years, my husband and I have opened our home many times in hospitality.

We got out of the habit while we served in the Joplin Tornado recovery efforts and while we had a family restaurant. 

It's time to get rebooted and open our doors again.

What about you and your home?

Is it time to open your doors and your hearts?

Blessings,

Laura

A Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage #54

 Thrifty living is second nature after all these years of saving money any way I can. Writing it down like this helps me keep at it. Sometimes the list is long; sometimes it is short. Either way, it's good knowing that I'm helping to stretch our money until it snaps. ~grin~ 

We're still living on our savings and praying that my husband will find a good job. Even after he's back to work, I'll still be working in my home to be a thrifty and frugal homemaker. 

This week in my home...

~ I made homemade laundry detergent again. I make small batches that fit in my liquid pump dispenser. 

~ I made foaming liquid hand soap for my dispenser.

~ I substituted canned jalapenos that I had on hand for fresh.

~ I bought gas that was cheaper than I ever imagined it would be again— $1.28 a gallon.

~ I took my daughter to sewing lessons which a friend of mine is teaching her for free.

~ My daughter's dentist gave us four sample tubes of toothpaste.

~ I drank water a lot. I gave up my Coke/Diet Coke habit back in October.

~ Oatmeal for breakfast one day. My family doesn't really like it, but it's thrifty. I'll probably start making it every 2-3 days. If they're hungry, they'll eat it.

~ I enjoyed a meal my son planned, bought, and prepared in our home one evening. 

~ I bought very few groceries. Money was just really tight this week. I only bought what I really needed.

~ A friend brought me lots of chicken legs. I am going to make some soup with some this weekend.

~ She also brought me a lot of bananas. I peeled them, put them in freezer bags, then put them in the freezer. Hubby will make banana bread tomorrow.

~ Hubby made homemade bread.

~ Hubby received free samples of his medicine to last three months from the doctor .

~ I sewed the binding back on Amy's blanket.

~ I bought a bag of split peas and two bags of lentils for $.99 each. They'll make some nice frugal meals over the next couple of weeks.

~ I'm working on those snowman decorations. So far I've spent about $3 for fabric and beads.

Well, that's all I can think of for now. I do hope you have a terrific, frugal week. 

What is your best tip for saving money in the kitchen?

~~~~~
ஐღLauraღஐ 

...doing what I can with what I've got where I am 
on a short shoestring budget!

~~~~~

This post was featured at Good Morning Mondays!

~~~~~

6 Keys to Defeat Despair

A friend recently asked me what advice I would give to those living in despair. Here is what I told her.

Trust God. He will never leave you nor forsake you. You are not alone.  I have been through very hard times... death of loved ones, failed businesses, lost homes, lost vehicles, long periods of unemployment, life threatening illnesses, pain, depression, very low income. Now my husband is unemployed again after closing our business. Even though I have failed, my husband has failed, plans have failed, God has never failed me. 

Live in Philippians chapter four.  God does not slumber or sleep. His arm is not too short. He keeps those in perfect peace who keep their minds on Him. Philippians chapter four tells us to be anxious for NOthing. In everything we are to pray, with thanksgiving, and make our requests to God. We have to trust Him. He then will give us peace that passes all understanding. I've got that peace right now even though my husband is unemployed, we have no income, and we are living on our limited savings. I have a peace that somehow, someway, God will take care of us. I am trusting God to bring my husband a good job.

Fill your mind with the Word of God. Saturate yourself with the Bible. Read it, listen to it, speak it, write it and put it where you can see it. YouVersion.com has plans for reading through the Bible. I've read and listened through the Bible several times since I started using it.

Don't isolate. When I feel down, I tend to draw back and isolate. Don't do it. Talk to others. Be involved in church. Call a friend. Spend time with family. Keep talking to God.

Find a trusted Christian friend and talk. Make sure that it is someone who will always point you back to Jesus and pray with you.

Read uplifting and encouraging blogs and books and most of all your Bible.



Read more...
Are You in a Tough Spot?
My Hope is in You Lord
A Simple Devotion 

Finding Rest for Your Soul

"This is what the LORD says: 

Stand at the crossroads and look;

ask for the ancient paths, 

ask where the good way is,

and walk in it, 

and you will find rest for your souls.

But you said, 'We will not walk in it.' "

Jeremiah 6:16

Lord, when all seems to fall around me,please help me to remember that I did indeed stand, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, the good way.  I chose the good way. That's why I'm home with my children, teaching them, and making a home for my husband. Help me not to falter in my belief in what you've chosen me to do and in what I've committed to do for you and for them. No matter what my eyes see, no matter what my ears hear, no matter what my emotions tell me. You are God. You will never leave me nor forsake me. I can trust you to meet my family's needs at all times. Thank you God.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and lean not to your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will make straight your paths."

Proverbs 3:5-6

Laura

Waiting on the Lord

Who is worthy to be praised

On a Cold Winter's Night

A cold winter's night at home... 

I'm just getting ready to make a pot of cocoa, put on my jammies, and read The Life Giving Home.

What do you like to do on a cold winter's night?

ஐღLauraღஐ 

...doing what I can with what I've got where I am 

on a short shoestring budget!

~~~~~

Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen

A Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage #53

Hello!

It's a bright sunny day in my neck of the woods. 

Bah! Humbug!

~smile~

I'm still praying for snow. 

Some of you have had way too much.

Could you send a cup or two my way?

I want to make snow ice cream!

~ My husband fixed our bathroom sink himself. He used a wire coat hanger, packing tape, and tools he had on hand instead of buying what he needed. I told him if he could do it without buying anything, he'd make the blog list! He did it! Yay Lowell!

~ I didn't have enough Hershey's cocoa to make a pot of cocoa, so I used a bit of leftover baking chocolate that had been lurking in the cabinet for weeks. It was delicious.

~ I received a new hot glue gun from a company for review.

~ My Emily and I made some Cauliflower soup and substituted ingredients rather than go to the store.

~ My husband took our computer apart, cleaned it, and put in a new CD drive so that my kids can do their math! Their CDs wouldn't load on the old one. This saved us the cost of a computer tech. Thanks Sweetheart!

~ My daughter received a cardigan from a company for review.

~ We carried water bottles instead of buying water while we were out.

~ I organized my fabrics and discarded some that won't be used. That's real estate investment!

~ My husband is still job searching, so I'm trying to really stretch the groceries I have on hand. It's made for a few experiments. ~smile~

~ I used a pound of ground beef to make biscuits and gravy.

~ A friend brought me some big hard rolls that were just out of date. I sliced them and dipped them in an egg, milk, sugar, and cinnamon mixture and fried them in my skillet to make french toast.

~ My daughter is making a large pot of rice for lunch. I have some canned chili sauce left over from the restaurant. I'll offer that as a possible topping. Some will eat it with soy sauce. Some may eat it plain. 

~ I made wheat farina for breakfast for the family one day this week. You can buy it as Malto-Meal at the store. 

~ The local thrift store is going out of business. I bought two pretty candle holders for $.59. 

~ My Amy used some leftover Christmas lights to decorate in the girls' room.

~ My Emily bought a frame with glass at the thrift store to make into a "white board" to put her to do list on.

~~~~~

What are you doing in your home this week?

~~~~~

ஐღLauraღஐ 

...doing what I can with what I've got where I am 

on a short shoestring budget!

~~~~~

This post was featured!

~~~~~

A Delightful Day Trip... Old-Fashioned Charm

I'm so glad you've dropped in. My kids are at youth camp this weekend. On a whim, my husband and I drove down to Bentonville, Arkansas, a town about an hour from here. It was a fun new experience. I felt like I'd walked onto a movie set! It had a thriving square downtown with lots of specialty shops, businesses and the Walmart museum. It was beautiful. 

The spectacular aspect was that there were people everywhere taking advantage of the nearly 70° weather! They were walking dogs, biking, shopping, sitting on the lawn on the square talking, eating at outside tables at little restaurants— some people even had dogs sitting by their feet at the tables! It was amazing! Everyone I spoke to was so friendly, too.  



On a side street, we passed by a doggy bakery. Just imagine! Lowell dropped me off just so I could run inside and see what it was like. They had fresh baked pastries that looked like they were from a posh bakery for humans! 



What did I buy? Not a thing! I'm not that kind of girl. ~grin~ I did see a bin of dog biscuits by the pound for $5.98 and a five pound bag of dog food for $49.98. Oh how tempting! Not! I'm a thrifty gal and glad of it. My little dog enjoys pieces of her regular dog food as treats. It was truly fun to see though.  



We ended our time in Bentonville with a stop for lunch at one of my favorite places, Chick-fil-A. We enjoyed their chicken nuggets with a variety of sauces. It was a delightful trip.... Now, I need to go buy some dog food!

I would love to hear from you.

ஐღLauraღஐ 

...doing what I can with what I've got where I am 
on a short shoestring budget!
~~~~~