Eliminating the Grocery Store Challenge - Day 3: Taking Advantage

In my effort of eliminating the grocery store, I realized that I needed to be more conscious in taking advantage of the food that I do already have. In other words, I need to make the most of what I've got. Case in point: turkey bones and dark meat.

Now, I admit, that I am a white meat kind of girl. I'll take a nice succulent turkey or chicken breast any day. And usually, after the Thanksgiving meal is over, we are too exhausted to do anything except throw the old bones and leftover dark meat away. However, as part of preparing my wonderful Thanksgiving meal, I realized that I am pretty dependent on chicken and beef soup stock. I mean, the stuff is awesome! And I use it to cook my stuffing, flavor my rice, add some savory goodness to my pasta, and whip up some really yummy gravy. And this stuff is not exactly cheap - especially when you buy between 10 and 20 boxes of this liquid gold a month.

It was time to do something different.

After we were all done eating, I saved the rest of the white meat for dinner today. I then put everything turkey related in a big stock pot. I threw in a bunch of spices and seasonings, some minced garlic, onion, celery, and carrots. I then brought it to a boil, turned down the heat and let it slowly simmer for hours. And hours. At bedtime, I simply turned the stove off and left the stock pot tightly covered.

We went to sleep smelling turkey and all those wonderful seasonings. It was wonderful.

The next morning, I brought the stock pot to a boil again and then let it simmer for a couple of more hours. As a side benefit, my kitchen felt nice and toasty warm. I had muffins baking in the oven and turkey boiling on the stove. It was so nice and cheerful and warm. I really like that it was warm.

Anyway, after a couple of hours of simmering, I poured the whole thing through a strainer into a metal bowl. This allowed most of the juices, soup stock, small pieces of meat, and spices to go into the bowl and leave me the rest. Using a very large fork, I raked over the meat, picking out bones, skin, and fat. These were promptly thrown into the garbage. I continued raking until all the bigger pieces of junk was eliminated and I was left with some nice pieces of turkey meat. Using a smaller fork, I stabbed as much meat as I could and put it into a quart sized canning jar. By stabbing the meat, I was able to find the smaller bones that were missed during the initial raking process. By the time I was done, I had one quart jar full of turkey meat and another quart jar half full.

I then ladled spoonfuls of the liquid from my metal bowl into the two quart jars with meat. The remaining liquid was put into two more quart jars and one pint-and-a-half jar. I made sure to leave a good inch of head space in the jars. Sealed them up with lids and rings and put them into the pressure cooker for 90 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure.

Voila! I have turkey meat already for casseroles, tacos, enchiladas, or pot pies. And I have a few jars of soup stock to flavor all my other items. And all it cost me was a few hours of my time, the recyclable jars I already owned, and what had historically been "garbage" post Thanksgiving.

What have you historically thrown away that might be able to salvaged? Share your ideas with us.

Blessings be upon you.

Eliminating the Grocery Store Challenge - Day 2: Making Lists

I took a break from blogging about the challenge yesterday for the Thanksgiving holiday. This was my first holiday trying to make everything I wanted without going to the grocery store. I have also started making lists. And preparing dinner for Thanksgiving really got me started.

I now have a list of things that I need to determine a replacement strategy for - things like paper towels and dryer sheets.

A list of skills that I need to develop - like how to make stuffing bread crumbs. I had a few bags of the Brownberry unseasoned stuffing croutons in my pantry, and I seasoned it with chicken stock, butter, dehydrated apples, dehydrated celery, ground black pepper, oregano, parsley, sage, and walnuts. It was savory and wonderful. But I still used previously store-bought crumbs.

And a "mental" list of things that I was thankful for - including my beautiful dehydrated foods. This year we purchased the apples from the Amish but we do have a single apple tree and a single pear planted. Next year we will be adding another one of each, plus a sweet cherry tree. I also want to expand my raspberry bushes and start a blueberry patch. I am thankful that even though we live in town I have enough room to grow much of our food. I still need to learn how to grow more in the space that I have.

A list of meals that I can make that use very simple, basic ingredients. For breakfast this morning we had sweet blueberry muffins made with dehydrated blueberries that I had also purchased from the Amish. The recipe does require a few things that I will have to buy - like flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder. I put these down on my next list.

My annual purchases - featuring things that I can probably get away with purchasing once or twice a year. Like flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder. After all, prior to the advent of the grocery store or two or three in every town, most people visited a general store a few times a year. You know, like Laura Ingalls Wilder did.

The biggest part of the challenge thus far has been looking at all the food in my pantry and trying to figure out how to actually use it. I mean, I have over a hundred jars of home canned jams, jellies, and butters. Way more than we could spread on sandwiches - assuming that is, I could break my kids of the nutella and peanut butter choice. I have a few dehydrated fruits that I have recently started to incorporate, such as the apples in the stuffing and in an oatmeal breakfast. Or the blueberries in this morning's muffins.

What are some of the from-scratch recipes that you like to make? Post one below and I'll be sure to try it out!

Be blessed.

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Sweet Muffins

4-1/2 cups of All-purpose Flour
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Sugar
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
2 cups Buttermilk
3/4 cup Olive Oil
1-1/2 teaspoons Vanilla
3 Eggs
1 cup dried/fresh Fruit or Nuts

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the sugars, mixing together well. In a second bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and eggs. Whisk together until well blended. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and mix until entire mixture is wet. Fold in the fruit or nuts. Once mixed well, cover the bowl tightly and place in the refrigerator over night. (This is especially important if using dehydrated fruits.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. You can bake the entire batch of dough, which will make 24 average sized muffins or 15 jumbo sized muffins. Otherwise, you can bake only what you need and save the rest of the batter to use as needed for up to five days. Spray the correct number of muffin tins as appropriate and fill each cup about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow plenty of space above the muffin tin in the oven as these muffins rise surprisingly high.

Enjoy!

Eliminating the Grocery Store Challenge - Day 1: Reviewing the Finances

As it is getting towards the end of the year, fiscally, for us and our small business, I decided it was time to review our finances over all.

I wash shocked. Amazed. Disgusted. Surprised. Nauseated.

The biggest shock by far was learning that we had spent an average of $1,000 per month at the grocery store.

A thousand dollars a month!

To me, that was insane. And unacceptable.

Yes, we have six children, but two of them are now out of the house. Yes, we have a very well stocked pantry. Yes, I had a very productive garden for the past three years. Yes, I love to cook and eat. So how did our grocery expenditures get so out of hand?

I guess I should explain that at one time, I was able to feed five kids, provide formula to one, and have two kids in diapers, plus purchase all the groceries and paper products we needed for $400 a month. Of course, we lived in a larger city where there were plenty of coupons and competition. I needed to analyze what had happened to our grocery budget.

First, we moved up north to where we have two stores to choose from locally. And by locally, I mean within seven miles or less of our house. All the other stores are 45 miles or more away. One is the local butcher shop. Very good, high quality meats at competitive pricing with the local grocery stores. Everything else though is almost double in price. The other store is just extremely expensive. I can fill one cart at that store and it cost me around $500. A comparable cart at a different store 45 miles away would cost me about $300. That's a big difference.

Second, I stopped using coupons once I realized that all the coupons were for processed foods that I really did not want to feed my family. Using coupons was also challenging up north because we could not do the whole price match, doubling, or other coupon incentives that I had been used to in a larger city.

Third, we started celebrating the Sabbath on Friday nights with a really nice (read as expensive) meal - including soups, salads, main course, desserts, sparkling grape juice, and wine. Our main course usually featured beef tenderloin, rib eye steaks, gourmet hamburgers, store bought fresh asparagus, roasted red potatoes, and yummy decadent desserts from the bakery department. Thankfully, we are not big drinkers and drink a wine that is only $11 a gallon.

Fourth, the price of groceries has risen significantly and in fact are at their highest levels. The price of butter doubled per pound. Dairy products in general have increased. Beef prices increased. Chicken prices increased. Fresh produce has also increased. Everything has gone up incrementally and in some cases, rather substantially.

And finally, we changed our eating habits to be more in line with the Bible. This meant eating more fish, beef, and chicken, and eliminating pork products. Fish costs more. Beef prices are constantly rising. And let's face it - pork has historically been a super cheap meat. One that I could use to make three meals out of one big ham. In emulating the Proverbs 31 woman, I worked hard to provide the best and healthiest foods I could afford, which meant paying for things like organic salad and locally (as in the state we live in) processed coffee beans. So our decision on what to eat has also been a contributing factor.

I decided that I am going to try eliminating the grocery store. Google has shown a plethora of people and posts that have done a "No Grocery Store Challenge" for 30 days, 1 year, and 3 years. Obviously, there are some things that I will have to buy at the grocery store - like milk and some health and beauty products. But I can eliminate all paper products except toilet paper, and replace them with washable materials. I can make my own laundry soap. I can support the local Amish community by purchasing bulk products from them as well as fresh eggs. I will continue to grow many foods in the summer, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, and potatoes. I can also start using many of the items that I have stored in my pantry. We are already planning on buying half a cow next month. I'm going to try and find a local source for my poultry and will most likely still have to buy fish from the store.

My ultimate goal is to make our family more self-sustaining, and only have to make bulk purchased for things like flour, sugar, salt, coffee, and spices. I also want to support the people in our community.

Do you think that this is possible? Interested in joining me? Let me know what you think.

Be blessed.

You Always Have A Choice...

We all have those projects that need to get done as a part of our home maintenance. How do you handle them? Do you make a list for your husband? Do you nag, whine, and complain until it **finally** gets done? Or do you figure out how to do it yourself?

I think that the church has done us women a disservice in some ways. We are taught to be submissive to our husband. And I agree, we need to. But submissiveness does not mean that we are to solely depend on him to do everything. We seem to have some thought that certain tasks are for women and others are for men. Why? Where did these ideas come from?

For some, I am sure the tasks are divided because that's the way our parents did it. For others, tasks are divided as part of the whole courtship and marriage negotiation process, e.g. you take care of the inside of the house, he takes care of the outside, etc. Yet, have you ever considered whether or not you can do some of those things on the list? Especially those things that never seem to get done and you feel like you have been waiting forever.

Here are a couple of examples from just this past month from my own life. We have two new fruit trees: an apple tree and a pear tree. We planted two apple trees last year, but one died over the winter. We replaced it with the pear tree this spring. The other apple tree survived, but only through the grace of God. The poor thing's trunk was pretty much stripped of most of its bark. So this year, we agreed to protect the trunks with the white plastic tubes made for this purpose. Weeks went by and my husband had made several trips to the store to buy them - but kept forgetting. We had our first few snowfalls and still the trunks were not protected. Rather than nag my husband, I chose to buy them myself when I went to the store. And then they sat by the door for another week or so. We were blessed with some warm weather that melted all our snow, so I went ahead and measured the trunks, trimmed the plastic tubes, and put them around the trees. All by my self. Now, obviously, I could have asked my husband - again. And again. We had several discussions about it. Or, I could just take care of it my self. After all, it wasn't too complicated or expensive. Just one more task that is now done.

As a side note, my husband came home from work a few days later and asked when had I put the tubes on the tree? He was going to do it but forgot. I just smiled and said don't worry about, it was no big deal. In other words, I was happy that it was done and my husband was pleasantly surprised that it was done. A win-win scenario for me.

The second example was not so easy for me. We have had a leaking bathroom for a little while now. Leaking as in every time someone showered, my back foyer and downstairs bathroom experienced a flood of rain. My husband reviewed the situation and determined that we needed to recaulk the tub. About a week later, he even found a tube of caulk in our home repair supplies. And the caulk made it upstairs, where it sat. For more than a week. He even set a day to do it, since you need to let it cure for 12 hours. But it didn't get done.

Again, I could have nagged, whined, or complained. Or I could access "YouTube University" and see how hard it could be. It seemed easy enough to me. Remove the old caulk. Clean the surface extremely well. Put on the new caulk.

Well, I did not anticipate that the wall would disintegrate with the removal of the caulk. So here I stood with the caulk removed from around the tub and a wall that was crumbled to a meshy frame. Not what I had anticipated. Again, I had a choice. I could leave it for my husband to take care of when he got home after working a full ten hour day. Or I could try to fix it myself.

I loaded the kids in the car and we went to the hardware store. I bought some more caulk since the tube we had was not enough to finish the job. And the sales clerk helped me come up with a solution to fix the disintegrated wall - without renovating the entire bathroom. I even picked up some extra caulking materials for the base of the tub. By the time my husband came home from work, the tub and surrounding area was pretty much caulked, repaired, and as water proof as I could make it.

My husband was happy with the results. It has now become one more project done, albeit temporarily since there is an entire bathroom renovation on the list. But we can live with it for now. And all it cost was my time and a few supplies.

My point is that the Proverbs 31 woman appears to be fairly self-reliant. We do not read of her asking her husband to do anything for her. If we are going to be emulating the Proverbs 31 woman, then we too should learn to be a bit more self-reliant. What's the worst that can happen?

Sure, you might botch the project. Oops, lesson learned. Your husband might even have to take over and finish it - be a hero helping a damsel in distress sort of thing. I don't know why, but my husband actually likes it when he can fix something I have been having trouble with. You might discover bigger problems than you anticipated. You may learn a new skill or find something that you like. I really don't see a downside, unless you do something that costs thousands of dollars.

I recommend that you start small - work on the low cost, low impact projects that have been driving you crazy. Patching a few holes. Painting a room. Replacing a cracked faceplate. Replacing light bulbs. Instead of looking at your list from a priority perspective, look at it from a level of experience needed perspective and see what you can do. I promise you will benefit in more ways than you think. Besides, learning something new is always a better choice than nagging - at least in my experience it has been.

Be blessed.

How Prepared Are You?

When I was growing up, no one in our family ever talked about "being prepared". By this, I mean, no one talked about hard times, the end times, the rapture, or even Armageddon. About the only memory I have that would even come close to any concept of being prepared is my grandmother advising me not "to throw that away, because as soon as you do, you will need it!" While I would not classify my grandparents as hoarders, they did have a lot of things that I considered to be odd and ends - in other words, items that I had no clue what they were or what they went to.

But the real question today is, what, if anything, should we be prepared for? In some circles, it seems that there is a laissez-faire attitude. In other words, why should we prepare? The responses range from a nothing-is-going-to-happen point of view to one of dependence on God. Please don't misunderstand me - I am NOT saying that we should not have dependence on God; however, I think the attitude of "God will send us manna" is not a realistic response to being prepared.

The Bible is full of verses on the topic of preparation. In fact, Proverbs 27:12 states, "A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished." To me, this means that a smart person prepares for the evil that he sees as being a possibility; those that do not prepare suffer and are punished due to a lack of preparedness. The Book of Proverbs also teaches us to watch the ant and learn from it. Specifically, Proverbs 6:6-11 read, "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man."

A lot of times when we discuss being prepared, many of our friends and associates start thinking about the end times, tribulation and the rapture. However, history should have taught us that there are a variety of ways that could cause us to face hardship. Just in America alone there has been war, dust bowls, severe droughts and hurricanes, the Great Depression and, most recently, "the Great Recession". From a worldwide point of view, severe inflation and terrorist attacks have done much to disrupt the societal fabric for many countries. Why do we seem to think that we Americans are immune or that God will instantly provide for all our needs? Many Christians have suffered in the past, and without proper preparation, can and will suffer in the future.

Back to our original question - how prepared are you? Every living thing has core needs: water, food and shelter. But we are also used to maintaining a certain "standard of living" with lights, modern appliances, and the ability to run to the store to get whatever our hearts desire - so long as we have a means to pay for it.

This past week something happened that affected our cell phones. My husband and I were not able to communicate via voice, with either each other or our clients. We could text and had to resort to email for our clients. Thankfully, this break in communication was fixed by the end of the week and we were back to business as usual. But this got us to thinking and talking about the "what ifs".

What if the power were to go out for more than a few days? What would we do for lighting, water and cooking? I think we are so used to our utilities always being there for us that we do not realize that it usually takes electricity to get water into the house; it takes electricity to ignite the gas on a gas stove or to cook on an electric one; it takes electricity to run the fan on the furnace or to load the pellets on a wood pellet stove.

What if the water supply were to get contaminated? This is not such a far fetched idea as one might first think. After all, Milwaukee's water supply was contaminated and resulted in some deaths not so long ago. If that were to happen in our neck of the woods, you can be confident that the bottled water supply would run out at all the stores and gas stations pretty quickly. In Milwaukee, the water could be boiled to make it safe; but what if boiling was not an option?

What if you lost your job? This has been a problem for many Americans in the past four years. No income is coming in yet you still need to feed your family. Imagine how much easier it would be for you if you knew that you had prepared in advance and had a 30-, 60-, or 90-day supply of food in storage. Do you know how to garden? Or cook "from scratch"? Or is your diet heavily dependent on prepackaged and prepared foods?

We are not trying to cause anyone to be afraid - we are told in God's word more than 300 times to NOT fear; however, we do think that a balanced approach to preparation should be considered. Based on current events, it could only help.

The Proverbs 31 woman is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet (verse 21). Think for a minute about these things and determine how prepared you are. Can you go without power for a week? It's been known to happen in some parts of the United States. Can you go without tap water for a week? It's been known to happen - bacteria in the water making it unsafe for a period time. Can you feed your family without going to the store for a week? Maybe you're snowed in like they were in Buffalo, New York. Or maybe your car breaks down and you can't leave home. What if deliveries were not able to be made to your local community of stores because of closed roads and the like?

There are so many things that can impact us that are beyond our control. As wives and mothers, we are responsible for setting the tone of the home and making everyone feel safe. By preparing ahead of time, you can also eliminate stress, confusion, and frustration.

Be blessed as we enter this winter season.

Sometimes It Takes A Little Elbow Grease...

And a whole lot of patience.

I got this Corning baking dish in 1997 as a wedding present. It is by far my favorite dish and it has been very well used for almost two decades. As you can see, it has not fared very well. It is in a rather embarrassing condition. In fact, many people that see this dish would probably make some incorrect judgments about me. Like that I am a horrible wife. Or a really bad cook. Or not good at keeping house. I am sure you know what I mean.

Back when I received it as a newly wed, I knew little about cooking and cleaning. I knew even less about being a Godly wife. As a matter of fact, at that time, I had a rather laissez faire relationship with Jesus. He was there when I needed Him, otherwise, not so much. I was coated with sin, inside and out.

After awhile, I think that my soul resembled this dish. I mean, I started out clean - at least as clean as a newborn baby. But I sure didn't stay that way. Sin had its effect on my life. Over the years, a rather thick and disgusting layer built up. With the passage of time, I accepted the dirt. Oh, sure, I would pray - when I needed something. I would repent as a part of church ritual. But I never felt clean. I never felt good enough.

Today, I have a much different relationship with God. Now I repent not as part of ritualistic prayer but because I know my soul is dirty. I no longer want to accept the dirt as status quo. I want to be clean - washed in the blood of Jesus. I want to be a Godly wife. One that can cook and clean and raise her children right. That is why I try so hard emulating the Proverbs 31 woman. And, just like this dish, I know that because of Jesus I can be clean again, inside and out.

Is it easy? No. It takes patience. It takes faith. And sometimes, it takes a little elbow grease. Elbow grease on my part; and sometimes I think Jesus rolls up His sleeves and rubs me a little - and sometimes a lot. And that's okay. I clean up nice too.

To clean this particularly stubborn dish took a bit of patience and a bit of elbow grease. I sprayed it liberally, several times, with cheap kitchen and bath cleaner from the dollar store. I scrubbed it with some Scotch Brite green scrubbing pads, SOS pads, and a butter knife. It had been covered with so much blackened and baked on food that I had forgotten that it had a floral swirl design on it; hence, the butter knife. It took me a couple of hours here and there to get it clean. Sure, it is only a $30 dish, but it is my favorite. And now, I am proud to use it and display it on my table again.

If at First You Don't Succeed...

We have all heard the mantra about trying again after failure. Yet, when we read Proverbs 31, I think that we sometimes forget that she probably failed too. How many vine plantings died in her vineyard (verse 16)? How many times did she try to weave cloth to only be able to use it at home (verse 19)? How many girdles did she design before being able to make one good enough to sell (verse 24)? How many dye batches did she mix and test before having the right shade to sell (verse 24)?

We all fail at times. Today, I failed at my first attempt to make homemade mozzarella cheese. I squeezed too much of the whey out and so it wouldn't melt. Or maybe I heated the cheese up too high when making the curds. I didn't use enough salt so it was kind of sweet. I was not able to make any ricotta cheese out of the leftover whey and I don't know why.

But it is okay. I will try again. And again. And again until I get a batch that works and I figure out what I am doing wrong. In the meantime, my kids get to eat the cheese we did make.

I am thankful that my children love cheese.

I am thankful that my husband is Italian and lives on cheese.

I am thankful that my children are young and may not remember the failures but will only remember that mom made great homemade cheese.

But today is not the day to bless me for my cheese making abilities.

My point today is that everyone fails when learning new skills. The important thing is to get up and try again. Take a note of the victories. Learn from the mistakes. Eventually, you will become good at what you are trying to achieve.

May you be blessed today with your successes and your failures. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go buy another gallon of milk.

What's Your Method?

Today I want you to think about your preferred method of getting things done. In other words, do you prefer to work by a schedule or by a routine?

A schedule is defined as "a plan for carrying out a process or procedure, giving lists of intended events and times". A routine is defined as "a sequence of actions regularly followed". The main difference between the two is that a schedule is dictated by the time; whereas a routine is timeless - able to be done at any time. When you use a schedule or a routine may vary throughout the day or week.

Believe it or not, understanding which method you use is really important. Let me give you some examples from our home:

• Meal Times - Schedule: Breakfast at 8:00; Lunch at 1:00; and Dinner at 6:00.
• Morning Chores - Routine: 1. Get dressed; 2. Make your bed; 3. Clean your room; 4. Brush your hair and teeth; 5. Take the dirty laundry to the laundry room.
• Assigned Tasks - Schedule and Routine: Schedule the day of week certain tasks get completed, i.e. laundry on Monday; routine because it doesn't matter what time it starts or gets finished, so long as it gets done.

Someone that does not abide well to a schedule, and finds it frustrating, would be better suited to developing routines. To be successful in managing your home, you need to develop systems that will work with you and your personality - not against you. That being said, however, there is one other consideration we must make - your husband.

We all know that opposites attract, so there is a really good chance that you are a scheduler and your husband is not; or the reverse is true. If your husband is the scheduler in the family, and you are not, managing your home may be a bit more challenging. He will most likely have the preference of having things done at the same time every day or week and show some irritability with inconsistency. Carefully consider his natural preferences, remembering that we are to be our husband's helpmeet.

Following is a list of questions that I want you to carefully consider, from your perspective and that of your husband. There is no right or wrong answers here, but how you answer these questions will influence how you choose to proceed and implement the suggestions in future posts. It will help you to determine if you are a scheduler or more of a routine type of person.

• Do you get up at the same time every day, day in and day out?
• Do you get ready to face the day doing the same things or do you do what you feel like doing to get ready?
• Are you always fairly presentable or do you meet unexpected visitors and deliveries in your pajamas with your hair sticking up?
• Is breakfast a planned affair with variety or do you serve and eat the same thing almost every day?
• Are you on time to most events, appointments, and meetings or are you always making an entrance?
• Do you clean your house as a form of preventative maintenance or is it cleaned post emergency or immediately before company arrives?
• Do you do dishes because there is nothing left to eat on or with or do you do dishes after each meal?
• Do you know what you are going to make for lunch each day or do you rummage around to see what you have to prepare?
• Do you pack a lunch for work or do you buy on the fly?
• Do you know what food you have in the refrigerator, freezer, or pantry; or is it a vague, sort of know situation; or do you have no idea and it's a surprise every day?
• Do you do laundry on a consistent basis or only when someone complains that they are out of something?
• What is your perspective on ironing: do it as part of laundry; iron something when needed; avoid ironing at all costs?
• Are your afternoons relaxing and calm or frantic and crazy?
• Do you face the dreaded pre-dinner hour with a messy house, screaming kids, and chaos or is meal preparation done in a calm and peaceful manner?
• Do your children follow your example or seem to march to a different drummer?
• Is school time or homework time a daily expectation or flexible?
• Do you go to bed at about the same time every night or does it vary significantly (meaning by more than an hour or two)?
• If someone were to ask your husband what you do at home all day, would he be able to effectively and positively respond or would he laugh and say he has no idea?
• When it comes to money, who pays the bills? Is it you, your husband, or jointly decided?
• Are the bills paid on time, late, once a month, once a week, or after some service has been disconnected?

I hope that as you consider your answers to each of the above questions, you are seeing a fairly clear pattern. Are you a scheduler? Do you follow routines? Or do you seem to consistently "fly by the seat of your pants", so to speak? As we move forward in trying to emulate the Proverbs 31 woman, there will be tips for people that like schedules and tips for people that prefer routines. If you do not know for sure which one you are, I would recommend that your default be the topics directed towards routines. You can always add layers to the routines, such as a timed schedule, down the road. The goal is to help you to successfully manage every aspect of your life - not drive you to tears of frustration.

Blessings be upon you.

Starting Your Day....Late?

When does your day actually start? Does it start in the morning with the alarm clock or the children? For me, it ideally starts at night. I say ideally because nobody's life is perfectly organized - not even mine. Secondly, saying it starts at night is probably striking you as being a bit odd. But hear me out. Keep an open mind and give it some thought.

In Genesis, we read, in verse 5, that "God called light day, and darkness He called night. Evening came and morning came: the first day." And in verse 15 of Proverbs 31, we read that "She rises also while it is yet night..." My own personal interpretation of this is that God's day starts at sundown. And it is still dark when the woman we are trying to emulate rises. Hmmm. So, if your day starts at sundown, instead of with the rising of the sun, what would you do differently?

When I first came to this conclusion, I made a lot of changes. And they have worked, for the most part, for me. Here are some of the things I do when I "start" my day:

• Review and/or discuss my husband's workload and projects for the next day. Is he going to be gone part of the day; the whole day; or not at all? Believe it or not, this can make a huge difference on how I plan my day!
• Make up my "to-do" list for the next day, keeping in consideration the assigned projects and my husband's schedule.
• Review my meal plans and decide what meals I am going to make for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the next day. Is there any advance preparations I can do, such as make the muffin mix ahead of time? Get any ingredients from the freezer?
• Give the house a quick once-over. Do I need to run the vacuum? Do a quick spot mop of a spill? Have any clothes to put away? In other words, when I wake up in the morning, is the house going to be presentable, making my day run smoother, or is it such a mess I know I won't get anything done except cleaning?
• Take my shower and relax. Nothing soothes away the prior day's stress and helps me to relax and prepare for the "new" day like a really hot shower or a long soak in a luxurious bubble bath. Plus it gives my hair plenty of time to dry before I have to style it.
• Meditate on God's Word. I like to do this right before I go to sleep. It gives me something to ponder once the lights are out, especially if falling asleep is evading me. Since my prayer box is with me, if I should need to make a note for myself, I have everything right there and don't need to even get out of bed.

Review how you are "starting" your day and jot down some things that you can do the night before so that the "rest of the day" goes more smoothly.

Blessings be upon you.

Every Journey Begins with a First Step...

First, let's get our journey started on the right foot. Proverbs 31:30 says, "Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised." It is our own responsibility to seek and follow after God. The desire to follow God is not something that can be legislated; it is either a desire of your heart or it is not. I have found that I can do nothing without Him. It is only through my dependence on God that I am able to accept the challenge to change; to even try emulating the Proverbs 31 woman.

It is important that our priorities be in the right order. I think Mary Kay of Mary Kay Cosmetics was pretty close when she said our priorities need to be "God first, family second, and career third." However, I want to tighten up that list of priorities a little bit: my God is first; my husband is second; my children are third; my ministry service is fourth; and my career is last. Without God first, my relationships with my husband and my children suffer. Without God first, what is the point of being in ministry. Without God first, my career has little to no chance of being successful. Rearranging the priorities puts everything contrary to God's natural order. And then nothing seems to work right and my whole world starts to crumble.

To help keep my focus on God, and to start each day with Him at the forefront of my mind, I have created a Bible Study and Prayer basket. This basket has the main things that I use to spend time with God in either His Word or in prayer. And to help me stay focused and not get sidetracked, I have a few "tools" inside to help me. Here is a list of the things that I include in my basket, that works for me:

• The New Jerusalem Bible - my favorite version to read and is a good study Bible with a lot of information included.
• The King James Bible - important since this is the version that I use to compare to the NJB. The one in my prayer basket happens to be the Study Bible version, but I also have a multitude of other versions available in my bookcases for more in-depth comparisons.
• Devotional or Bread Bible - this year I am working my way through the Bible using the Bread version, in chronological order. In the past, I have used daily devotionals. I find that I enjoy getting in to the Word more on an independent basis if I have some sort of study tool, like a devotional, to help me.
• Prayer cards - being completely transparent here, I confess that prayer is something that I personally struggle with. I never quite know what to say or what to pray about. These prayer cards have been a real blessing to me. Whenever I find them, I like to keep them and use them as I feel led.
• Spiral notebook - I happen to be an avid note taker. I find that I retain more if I write things down. I have one notebook that I use for personal study. I recently found my collection and was debating on whether or not to keep them or destroy them. Everyone advised me to keep them, so they are stored in a bookcase, for now. Once a notebook is full, especially the ones containing sermon notes, I make sure all the verses and any really important notes are transferred to my New Jerusalem Bible. Whether I am studying a topic independently or learning from someone available at YouTube University, I take notes and then double check the teaching against the Word for myself. These notebooks become invaluable to me since they include most of the information that has formed my personal doctrines.
• Kleenex - just in case I sneeze, I cry, or just need a tissue.
• Notecards - sometimes I try to memorize certain Scripture passages that stand out to me. I jot them down on the notecards and then take them with me to read periodically until I have that particular verse or passage memorized.
• Candy container - a small metal container to hold my hand lotion, nail file, chapstick, post-it flags, and post-it notes. Essentials to keep from getting distracted or side tracked from the Word. Forgot something to do? Just jot it down on the post-it note until later. Found a passage I want to come back to? Flag it with a post-it flag. Dry lips or itchy hands distracting me? Got something to take care of that too.
• Coffee cup - holds all my different colored pens and highlighters for marking up the Word of God and taking notes. I personally love the Micron pens. They do not bleed through the thin paper of Bibles and comes in a variety of colors so I can color code certain passages as I want.

I hope that this foundation helps you to prepare for the challenges ahead. Your first assignment is to create your own "get together with God" type of basket or container. Think about all the things that distract you and see if you can prepare for them in advance. Post a comment and share your ideas and what items you included in your prayer basket.

Blessings be upon you.

The Way to a Man's Heart...

There's an old saying that goes something like this...."the way to a man's heart is through his stomach". I happen to agree that the ability to cook a good, hearty meal is an invaluable asset for any woman. Even the Proverbs 31 Woman has four different verses that describe her management of food: she brings it from afar (v.14); she gives meat to her household (v.15); she plants a vineyard (v.16); and finally, she eats not the bread of idleness (v.27).

What has happened to change the heart of the home and remove it from the kitchen? Today's options are definitely more plentiful. We have an abundance of restaurants to choose from, depending on what you are in the mood for - American, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, etc. Or there are all the commercially prepackaged and convenient options available in the store - ready to just heat and serve. And of course there is always the two biggest challenges - time and money. We never seem to have enough of either when it comes to preparing a good meal on a nightly consistent basis.

And I am no exception. I face the same challenges as everyone else. But there are a few things that I have learned over the past 20 years that have made a huge difference in putting the kitchen in its proper place - as the center of our home.

• Have a plan. Know what you are going to cook and when. Avoiding last minute decisions actually saves time and money.
• Always have the ingredients for an "emergency" dinner situation. At our house, the standby meal is Tuna Noodle Casserole. I always have the ingredients and if the schedule does not go as planned or something got left in the freezer by mistake, we can still have a quick and simple meal.
• Every meal is not going to be perfect. Cooking is both a science and a skill. You have to be willing to make mistakes to get any good at it. I still botch a meal now and then. But at least I am learning and trying. And experimenting.
• Be open to trying new recipes. You would be amazed at all the different variations you can make using the same core ingredients. Just look at hamburger as an example: hamburgers, sloppy joes, tacos, chili, spaghetti, lasagna, minestrone soup, enchiladas, meatloaf, meatballs, pizza, tater tot casserole, goulash, stuffed peppers, cabbage rolls, cheeseburger casserole, etc. All of these require hamburger as the base protein.
• Write down what your family likes to eat. After you try something new, gauge how much is left in the pan and on their plates. If it appears that most of it was actually eaten, rotate it into your meal plan.
• Get a crock pot and learn how to use it! They are awesome and a must have in every household.
• Use the right tool for the job. Seriously. Cooking is no fun at all when you don't have the right tools and you make do. But don't go overboard. Only buy tools you will use and get rid of all the extra stuff that you have bought in the past and never use.
• Cooking pots, pans, and utensils are an investment. Don't buy super cheap stuff. Remember, these are things that you will use up to three times a day for the rest of your life. You want it to last. It is better to invest a little extra up front then to have to replace something every other year because the coating is coming off.
• If you are absolutely dependent on "take and bake" convenience foods, set aside a weekend or evening to prepare your own convenience meals that you can freeze and then bake or throw in the crock pot as you need to. It is going to be more budget friendly, healthy, and a great project for the whole family. Just don't forget to take the food out of the freezer ahead of time, if necessary.
• If you invest in a good dehydrator and a good dual purpose food saver vacuum sealer, you can also prepare convenience foods as "meals in jars". Books are written with instructions and recipes on how to make these quick and easy convenience meals.
• Healthier eating does not necessarily mean it's more expensive. I hear a lot of time that eating healthy is too expensive, but I disagree. Learn how to make foods from scratch, such as bread. Use real cheese, eggs, milk, and yogurt. Water is cheaper than soda, even if you buy natural flavoring packets. You will find that most of the time, food cooked entirely from scratch at home is affordable - and generally better for you since there are not a lot of extra, lab created chemicals in the final product. Also look for alternative options. For example, I buy my oatmeal in bulk from the local Amish store. It costs roughly $0.50 per pound for a 50 pound bag, instead of the $2 or more for a canister at the store.
• There are whole websites dedicated to cooking. You can find everything from crock pot meals to freezer planning to "copycat" restaurant meals. And a lot of the websites have really good step-by-step instructions, too.
• Stay tuned to this website as I will be posting how to plan your meals, prepare your pantry, generate a shopping list, and transition to doing the bulk of the shopping once a month. Limiting shopping to one a month really saves a lot of money and time.
• And finally, keep checking out our website...there will always be some new recipes that I actually use and that have super easy instructions too. At least, I think they are easy to do.

I hope that these ideas will get you thinking more about how you are feeding your family. No restaurant, grocery store, or gas station can provide the critical ingredient of "love" that is only found in a good, home cooked meal. Just ask your husband, but only after you have mastered how to cook!

Blessings be upon you.

My Understanding of Proverbs 31

I thought that it would be important for me to explain what each of the Proverbs 31 verses mean to me. After all, it is my understanding that I am going to be using to share why I think that we can be successful in emulating her. Too often I read other's interpretations in which they write off just about everything she does. For example using phrases like, well she had handmaidens. Anyway, I thought that you might find this synopsis helpful.

Secondly, I want to encourage you by reminding you that being a woman, wife, and mother is a job that God uniquely qualified you, as a woman, to do. I think that in His wisdom, God exhorted the mature woman to teach the younger woman - because today's younger women have been shortchanged the skills and techniques our grandparents and great-grandparents knew about being proper housewives and mothers. I think that we need to forget all the feminist garbage that is out there. You are to be a helpmeet to your husband. So help him. You are to be the keeper of the home, so start keeping it properly. You are told to teach your children in the fear of the Lord pretty much 24/7. Instead of whining or complaining, let's start doing what we can do for the glory of God! (I'm preaching to myself here too!)

Pro 31:10-12 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

These first three verses are all about how she treats her husband and not exaclty about what she does for him. There is no reason why we cannot treat our husbands in a way that ensures he can trust us, and that we have his best interests in mind.

Pro 31:13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.

I interpret this to mean she actually does work herself, personally, and does not rely on others to do everything for her.

Pro 31:14 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.

In today's GMO polluted environment, I interpret this to mean that she purchases the best food that she can afford to feed her family and does not rely on cheap frankenfoods.

Pro 31:15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

She rises earlier than her family in order to prepare them breakfast, and maybe, even get dinner started. Crock pots are awesome! But really, this kind of goes with the previous verse in that she is ensuring that she has enough, good, quality food prepared for everyone in her household.

Pro 31:16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

For me, this means having a garden. Again, it ties in with the previous two verses. Watch Back to Eden. We did and I can assure you that we do not garden the way our parents did. It is a lot less work, for sure. Don't have room for a garden? Use containers. Most kids have no clue where there food comes from and that is knowledge that must be brought back.

Pro 31:17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.

I interpret this to mean she actually does work herself, personally, and does not rely on others to do everything for her. Also, she does what is necessary to keep her health and strength up.

Pro 31:18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.

She does not buy things impulsively. She makes wise choices with her money. In other words, the candle she buys can burn through the night without failing. Can you honestly say that your purchases are always wise? How much "junk" do we clutter our lives with?

Pro 31:19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.

We are blessed in that we are no longer required to spin our own threads, and weave our own cloth. Or even make our own clothes, if we do not want to. The point here is that she is always making sure that her family has good food, good clothes, and the things that they will need when they need them.

Pro 31:20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

She helps others out. For me, this means having an extra meal or two in the freezer for when someone gets sick, has a baby, loses a family member, etc. It also means having a fully stocked pantry so that when someone is tight, they can "shop" at my house for necessities to get them to their next paycheck.

Pro 31:21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

Again, her family is well clothed - not with name brand things, but with clothes that are well made and will last a season. The reference to scarlet implies quality. And that is key when it comes to clothing. Quality over quantity is best every time.

Pro 31:22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.

Again, we are blessed in that we are no longer required to spin our own threads, and weave our own cloth. Or even make our own clothes, if we do not want to. The point here is that she is always making sure that she is dressed in the very best that she can make. In our case, it would be the best that we can afford for the tasks at hand.

Pro 31:23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.

Her actions reflect positively on her husband.

Pro 31:24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.

Find a way to be a helpmate to your husband that impacts either income or expenses positivley. Organize a rummage sale each summer to bring in some extra income. Sell off extra produce from your garden. Clip coupons to save on groceries. Leverage your skills into your own business that you can do from your house that offers flexibility. Watch other children during the summer. The ideas are endless. The point is that she helped her husband financially too.

Pro 31:25-26 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

These two verses are all about her own personal character development. Do you exude strength or whining and weakness? Do you do what needs to get done, or do you complain and pout? Are you kind to others and a sources of wisdomly advice? Or are you an example of what not to do?

Pro 31:27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

Simply put, she was not lazy. She figured out what needed to be done to manage her home and she did it. You would never see her sitting on her butt watching television if there was work to do. She would not be out spending money she did not have to buy things she did not need leaving her house a mess.

Pro 31:28-31 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

In the final verses, she is praised for being a good wife and mother.

I pray that this rather modern and forward interpretation helps you look at this woman in a different light and can see that it is possible to begin emulating the Proverbs 31 woman.

Emulating the Proverbs 31 Woman

Many of us seem to have a love/hate relationship with the woman described in Proverbs 31. For many years, I was one of those women that hated her. As a new Christian, meaning as someone that finally decided to really try having a real relationship with Jesus, I decided to read and study everything I could about the Proverbs 31 woman. Looking back, I'm not even sure why I chose her or this passage other than that she was the one that was held up as being the "ideal" woman to emulate.

And I hated her. Her perceived perfection. Her ability to do everything and to do it just right. I met other women that didn't like her either. And over time, it seemed that more and more women were finding reasons to believe that truly emulating the Proverbs 31 woman was just not possible.

I too began to believe that lie. Today I believe that it is a lie spread to discourage women from even trying. After all, nobody can accomplish everything she did. Right? I mean, we have all heard this woman disparaged, broken apart, or shown to be impossible.

And I personally think that is sad and heartbreaking. Maybe it is because I am nearing my forties. Maybe it is because I am transitioning into a Titus 2 role. Maybe it is because I did not give up completely on the ideals of Proverbs 31 that I finally decided to say no to the lies and began trying to emulate her. First for myself, second for my family, and now, so that I can share her lessons with you.

I want to share why I believe we can still become the Proverbs 31 woman, but not in a theological or religious sense but in a practical, I live in the real world and have real challenges sense. In other words, I want to provide hands-on suggestions and recommendations. Things that I have personally tried to do in my own life.

Do not try to be like me. Do not try to be like any other woman you see, know, or meet. Instead, focus on the Proverbs 31 woman and use my ideas, suggestions, and recommendations as a starting off point to come up with solutions that work for you. Each of us is unique and so are our families. We may all have husbands, but I guarantee that they are not all the same. Some of us may have a child or two or six or eight. Some things are scalable to meet the needs of larger families; some things are not. Change anything and everything so that it works for you, keeping your eyes on the ideals that are the foundation for emulating the Proverbs 31 woman.

To help keep the focus on the Proverbs 31 woman and off of me personally, I will always emphasize what verse a particular recommendation is emulating. This will keep me focused when sharing tips and ideas. It will keep you focused on the big picture (and not on me!).

Are you ready for the challenge? Are you ready to try emulating Proverbs 31? Then let's get started!