Posts tagged thrifty mama

I love a good yard sale. The thrill of what may be there and that treasure just begging for a good home with me!  I get a little charge of adrenaline when I see the sign. “Hmmm,” I say. Could this be the best yard sale ever? “Yes, it could be.” I pull my car over. Temptation sometimes gets the better of me, and I am walking out with a armload of stuff, and my wallet is 10$, 20$ or more lighter.

As you can imagine, not every yard sale has what I need, or (gasp) what I want. Sometimes, it’s just junk or worse it is really great junk that I really don’t need or can’t afford.  The end result is clutter and my family’s finances spent unwisely. My plumber-man would completely agree.

I am prone to be tempted, wander, gawk, and buy. Sadly, if I need it or not. Truth is garage sales for me can equal temptation and wandering away from God.  I know this about myself, and I carefully have to keep myself in check, for example a set budget, purpose, and appropriated time. But more often than not, I just don’t go.

Deciphering temptation is difficult. Sometimes it’s best just to run from it. Timothy 2:22 tells us, “ Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” For me, I keep driving and don’t stop. I do not put my self smack-dab-in-the-middle of temptation. Same holds true to other temptations whether that be food, people, or anything that leads you away from the Lord.  Bottom line, it is temptation.

Romans 6:17 states “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” If you find yourself at a cross roads, veered off your path, or completely lost, no matter how many steps you take away from God, it only takes one step to get back to righteousness, to obedience, to Him. Just One.

We may wander when something catches our eye and tempts us off our path with the Lord, but obedience brings us back to God. He is there waiting for us to choose righteousness, faith, love, and peace. He is waiting for us, one step away, to turn away from sin and captivity.

P31Wife

“Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. 
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.” Proverbs 31:11

photo credit.

I have been wanting to write a catch up post for a while. There are a million little things that I have been wanting to share with you. Really, a million. Well, okay, maybe not a million but quite a few.

First, many of you know P31Wife was at the Sisters’ Show last weekend. We had a wonderful turnout, and I got to hang with a group of insanely creative, Godly women. Seriously, I am their biggest fan and #1 groupie!  Here is a pic of all of us (minus my mama-homey Ashley who came after work.) At the end of our show there was some trading going on between us girls. Let’s just say I am thrilled to be able to know such crafty mamas. Thank you Sisters, Emily and Monica, for inviting me at your show. I cannot wait for the Fall Sisters’ Show!

My family is on day 76 today with our Reading Promise! It has really transformed our little family. Each of us love our time reading and our time with the heroes and heroines of the books we share. So far, there is a family wide consensus that Ramona needs a spanking, and she does not need a boyfriend (wahoo). And, Junie B reigns as our family favorite.  I will be sharing our completed list when we reach our goal of 100 days.

I have done a couple Pinterest projects that I love. I did this to my Laundry Room, and I love it. Since I have a toddler, I left the three bottom shelves free of cleaners just in case he manages to get the child proof door handle open that he is not tall enough to reach. Yes, you can never be too careful.

I made these for this little super reader. They are Sight Word Legos. She is in Kindergarten and reading like crazy. She already knows all Sight Words. She amazes me. She was a little frustrated at first because she couldn’t find what she was looking for, so I added a few extra articles, nouns, and verbs. This Lego set came from a thrift store for a whopping 2$. This was a great project. It keeps her hands and mind busy. My second grader loves it too.

I have lost 27 pounds on my Weight Watcher journey since I started January 2nd of this year. I am super happy and excited with how God has changed my life. I am healthier and happier. Here are my before and after photos. Sorry for the goofy cell phone pic in advance. (And, I have no idea why the pic is so much smaller.) If you want to read my first post about my Weight Loss Journey go here. There is more to come on this subject, much more.

Finally, Lent is over and our 40 Bags in 40 Days project is over. One of the awesome ladies I did this project with had this to say, “So today is the end of our 40 day quest and honestly, I’ve lost track of how many boxes/bags have left the house. This is what I know though; I have sorted, dejunked, filtered thru, clean organized closets, drawers, cupboards and rooms. I have a big pile of yard sale stuff in the garage. Things I hadn’t even unpacked from moving from Washington now have new homes! I blessed friends with fabric & scrappy supplies. Everything from clothes to toys to DVDs to linens were purged and I don’t see this cycle ending anytime soon! Glory!” I couldn’t have said it better myself, Suzanne. There will be more coming on this.

I am reminded again and again of the Proverbs 31 Wife. There are many times now that the scripture just comes to mind in my everyday thinking as I am planning activities for my family. Whether it be a meal plan, home organization, crafty goodness, or schoolwork, I hear the Holy Spirit whispering to me the path I need to take or not take. I am so grateful for this, and for this ministry. Thank you my friends for blessing me.

P31Wife

A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies. Proverbs 31:10