Summer Update: It was a long winter!

Many of you read our testimony to God's faithfulness over the past 5 years through the loss of our business, homes and my husband's present physical disability. At the beginning of this year we settled into a little bungalow in my aunt's barn which is nestled amongst her 10 acres of almonds. The winter months were difficult for my husband physically while his body adjusted to many new medications. Several of the medications that were prescribed to relieve pain had horrible side effects which brought their own host of serious problems. The colder temperatures also brought more pain. We spent many of our days at doctor appointments and tests with a few trips to the E.R. I'll be honest and share my very heart with you ... some of those days felt very 'dark' and I struggled at times emotionally as I watched my husband suffer knowing I could do nothing to relieve his pain. Yet, through the myriad of trials we're experiencing a richer walk with the Lord as He teaches us more about Himself. Some of these lessons involve dying to dreams that have long been a part of us. These lessons, although painful, are proving in the long run to bring a deeper joy than we've ever known in our Christian walk.




I am finding a greater need to daily rest in the knowledge of God's sovereignty. I'm slowly learning the lessons of what Amy Carmichael once shared in her poem, "In Acceptance Lieth Peace". I am convinced that Scripture teaches a loving God has 'assigned my portion' for each day (Psalms 16:5). Some of that portion may involve suffering, some may involve sorrow. He is the 'blessed controller' of all things (1 Timothy 6:15). What that means to me personally is that even my husband's pain is not out of His control.



Elisabeth Elliot once wrote, "I know of no greater simplifier for all of life. Whatever happens is assigned. Does the intellect balk at that? Can we say that there are things that happen to us that do not belong to our lovingly assigned "portion." ("This belongs to it, that does not")? Are some things, then, out of the control of the Almighty? Every assignment is measured and controlled for my eternal good. As I accept the given portion other options are canceled. Decisions become much easier, directions clearer, and hence my heart becomes inexpressibly quieter. A quiet heart is content with what God gives."



I cannot live in the past of what my husband and I had hoped our future would look like. I cannot live in the fantasy of what we 'thought' our future should be. I especially will not mourn the loss of 'things' that with time would only rust and be left behind on this earth. I choose to rest in the security of knowing an all loving and all-powerful God has not left His throne but is masterfully in control of each intricate detail of our lives. We seeing His plan unfolding each day and are witnessing His skillful craftsmanship as He weaves all of our circumstances into a pattern for good.. even the painfully, hard ones! I pray His lessons will continue to change us and be used to conform us into the image of His Son Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:28,29)



You know.. the amusing thing is that the ideals we had for our future were no way as glorious as what we are experiencing today.... even in the midst of the painful times. Our 'imagined' goals focused on the temporary things of this world and how we would live financially in our old age. We labored to that end. A very small portion of our imaginations for the future had to do with God's kingdom. These days my husband and I talk much about the Lord's kingdom and how we hope to serve more. God is teaching us to 'seek first His kingdom' and we're finding a huge portion of joy as our focus becomes set more on the eternal things rather than the temporal.











(I have a small window (possibly) of opportunity to share lessons we are learning while my husband's physical state is temporarily stabilized and my help is less needed. I hope to share more in a later post... Lord willing.)

An Inexpensive Soda Replacement

If your food budget is minimal like mine then you've probably discovered that items such as soda are a luxury.  We've not given it up completely in our household but we're slowly replacing it with other less expensive and healthier drinks.

My husband has switched from sugar sodas to mostly a Stevie sweetened Kool-aid. I use a package of Kool-Aid with an 1/8 of a tsp.of pure stevia. Oftentimes he'll  top his glass with a bit of diet soda, just for old times sake. I've gone quite a few weeks without a diet soda and I don't miss it at all. We're living 'minimally' these days and diet soda is something I can live without.

During the summer months I enjoy making pitchers of herb tea. My favorite is spearmint or peppermint although I've used many varieties in the past.   This week I made a pitcher of orange spice tea.

I make the tea by heating 2 cups of water in the microwave and steep the tea bag in the hot water for about 20 minutes or until the water has turned a darker color. I pour it into the pitcher and fill the rest with water then refrigerate.  Once the first pitcher is nearly empty I fill it up with water again leaving in the tea bag for flavor. This way I get twice the value from the tea bag and the water is still flavored.

 Herb tea is totally satisfying and refreshing. Since I'm the only one in our household that drinks the herb tea I've been known to come in from the garden very parched and drink straight from the pitcher in the fridge. (**sssshhhhh, don't tell anyone!***)

Coupons

I found two great coupons to print! Hurry while they last!

.75 off: Best Foods Mayonnaise Coupon



.$50 off 2: Campbell's Soup Coupon

$1 off any 4 Campbell’s Condensed Soups
$.50 off any two Campbell’s Spaghettio’s Pasta
$1 off two jars of Prego Italian Sauce
$1 off two cans of Swanson Premium Chuck Chicken Breast
$1 off two V8 100% Vegetable Juice (46oz or larger)
$1 off one Campbell’s V8 Soup
$.50 off any two Campbell’s Condensed “Great for Cooking Soups”
$1 off any two V8 V-Fusion juice 46oz Varieties

How does your garden grow?

We are enjoying our little garden patch. The picture above was taken quite a few weeks ago. The veggies have really taken off in growth since then. The first fruits of our labor are finally ready for the pickin'. Hubby picked 2 zucchini the other night and I sauteed it with onion,  tomato and  small amount of corn. I seasoned it with garlic powder and a bit of seasoned salt and sprinkled Parmesan cheese on the top. Kevin really liked it.
We have a ton of peppers. I'm freezing them until the tomatoes have ripened.

I have more radishes than I know what to do with. I've tried roasting them but hubby didn't care for them. I'm going to look for a radish salad recipe. Is there such a thing?

I pickled a batch of beets.  I used a combination of stevia and erythritol for the sweetener. I love pickled beets with my salads. They are stored in the fridge in a pint jar. When we finish the beets I'll put a boiled egg in the jar to soak in the juice. We can then use the egg on our salads. The beet juice gives them a great flavor.

The Lord taught many spiritual lessons related to gardening. Oftentimes when I'm pulling weeds or sowing seeds the Lord will bring those verses to mind. I enjoy my time with Him in the garden. I often enjoy singing the old hymn.."I come to the garden alone".

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

God used the simple duties of our lives to teach deep spiritual truths. This old mind is thankful for that! :-)

Work from Home: Pinecone Research (HURRY!)

I wanted to quickly post this before they close the registration for Pinecone Research. I've been doing survey's for this company for a while and highly recommend them. They pay on time and I never feel that I'm 'tricked' into giving a ton of information before they decide to disqualify me for the survey. They pay $3.00 a survey. My checks are mailed to my home. I get the check in the mail within a short period of time. It's not a lot of money but it adds up quickly. I consider it our 'fun' money to eat out or for entertainment. I'm going to start putting it in an envelope for that purpose.

Here is where you sign up. Hurry! They don't advertise for long.

http://www.savingwithamy.com/2010/07/09/hot-pinecone-research-is-open-for-participants/

Toilet Paper Principle

I read this tip last week on Deal Seeking Mom's site! I thought it was an easy way  to figure out what is the best price to stock up on toilet paper. This is simple enough for my old brain to retain!

"Look at the front bottom of the toilet paper package to determine the total square feet. Now insert a decimal point in this number two places to the left. If the cost of the package minus coupons is less than or equal to this figure, it's a decent deal -- basically $0.01 or less per square foot!

Example:
TP #1 = 400 sq. ft.; price = $6; stock-up price $4, so not a fabulous deal....
TP #2 = 650 sq. ft.; price = $5; stock-up price $6.50, so definitely a bargain!"

Easy, huh?!

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Picture used with permission from All Posters

Coupon Data Search Engine

One of my favorite couponing resources is a webpage called, Hot Coupon World. I use their Coupon Data Base every week. This is how I use it:

I first make up my weekly shopping list according to the sale items that week. I then go to Hot Coupon World and click on their Coupon Data link on the right side of the front page. I work my way through my shopping list to see if any of the items I'm purchasing may have a coupon.  Just place the name of an item in the search box and it will tell you if there are any coupons available ANYWHERE on that item. Many times they will offer a link to a coupon that can be printed off of your computer.


Do you have any favorite couponing sites you visit regularly?

Hot Coupon World