End of the year update: Finances, debt, family and more

Happy New Year's Eve!

I did want to just give an update on a few things going on in our life, and I would love to start updating the site more often. I've tried to clean up the site a bit ( I removed the AdSense for one thing, as I didn't understand how it worked and it looked to clutter up the blog). So as we approach the new year I wanted to share a few updates:

                                                                      Finances:
One of the things I've been open about here is our debt. Which is ridiculous. The last time I posted about it was in October of 2018 which you can read about here.  At that time our non mortgage debt was $144,798. Since then we have paid off $20,484. Bringing our debt down to $124,213. I'm glad that number is going down, however, it needs to go down further. I'm still being frugal, I'm sticking with our budget, but it just seems with 3 growing kids, a home to maintain and my tuition ( more on that in a minute) we did not have a ton extra to save. So for this next year, my goal is to get that number under $100k. So walk with me as we get that number lower!

                                                                    Family: 
We are doing so well. My kids are now 14, 12 and 8 and man are they amazing kiddos. They are doing great in school, and the older two are active in our church youth group, while the little guy is still in the Children's group at church. The 14 year old and 8 year old are taking piano lessons this coming year, the 14 year old has been taking lessons for a while but January will be the first month for the 8 year old. The 12 year old is doing great in her sewing classes- they aren't monthly lessons, but she does take a class here and there when there is one that tickles her fancy. Last night she hemmed a pair of jeans for my uncle and he gave her $3. So she's pretty excited about that.

                                                                   Animals:
We still have a ton of chickens ( not a ton, but maybe 25?) I haven't counted in a while. The chickens are really my 14 year old's thing and she knows their names, keeps tabs on them etc. We are getting some beautiful eggs each day and we enjoy fresh eggs. We still have 3 goats but are out of the rabbit business.

Throwback of my daughter when she was little, but she has always adored her chickens. 

                                                              My school: 
Thankfully, I am about to finish my PhD. I am on the dissertation phase and have collected my pilot data and am about to go into full scale data collection. I hope to be finished by the end of the Spring Semester. I may have to extend my graduation into the summer, but bottom line is that I only have about 3 more hours of tuition to pay, and most of that is paid for with a scholarship. I've tried really hard to get scholarships throughout this process, and anything I've owed, we've cashed flowed. We vowed for no new debt for my PhD- which we stuck to. So after my next tuition bill we will be finished paying for that and that money can be put somewhere else. I've also had to travel pretty often to the university, which was costly for plane tickets, hotels etc. So after one more trip ( to defend my dissertation) that expense will be finished as well!

I am starting a Pantry Challenge tomorrow, with my grocery budget being only $100 for the month of January ( and I haven't bought groceries in almost a week already) so that will help clean my freezer out and plan for what food(s) we need to plant and put up this gardening season. Read more about that in the coming days.

How has your year been? I'm excited to get back to visit with you guys!

New Wife and being broke- memories of younger years and Pepperidge Farm Cake

If you read this title I know you are thinking.... WHAT? I'll explain.

My son stayed the night with my parents Saturday night and apparently my mom went to the grocery store and brought home a cake for him that was on sale. He wanted to bring it home to share with us as well. Super sweet kid.

But what it did was bring back memories. My husband and I got married when I was 21 and he was 23. He was just getting out of college, I was still in college and waiting tables. We were broke. He had an entry level job but we just didn't make much then. I remember it was his birthday and I wanted to so something special for him. I had been saving change in a Mason jar and went to our Kroger and cashed it in using that coin machine. I got about $15 out of it. I bought two pieces of meat, two fat baked potatoes and salad fixings. Then for dessert I splurged on a Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Fudge cake- just like the one my son brought home this weekend.

I remember my husband being thrilled with his steak dinner all those years ago. It's been a beautiful journey and even though we literally were "living on love" back then, I wouldn't change it. Good times and we learned to rely on each other and lots of prayer.

Spring Break Vacationing while getting out of debt?

We love to vacation. And since I work the same schedule  that the kids go to school we normally always do a full week of vacation for Spring Break. Last year we went to St. Louis- which was awesome. The year before that we went to the Smoky Mountains- even more awesome.

But we are trying to get out of debt and we realize that a full week of hotels or another vacation rental, plus all the food, eating out ,gas, activities etc. will just cost too much.


BUT we do still plan on having a ton of fun this Spring Break. We like to camp and go pretty often, so this year we are planning 4-5 nights in a State park that is local to us and just hike, and play, and cook food that we bring and enjoy some fun time together . We already have the equipment, I'll use our normal grocery budget, and our normal gas budget. The nightly site fee and maybe a tiny bit of other expenses will be all we have to spend.  Nightly fees range between $18-$32 depending on the park and the site.


I actually already have one night credit for camping because we were camping last year when there was an issue at the park and they gave us one night credit to use on our next trip.


We should have our tax refund back by then, but instead of using that bit of money to go on a huge trip, I'm going to budget $200 to go camping on Spring Break.  ( Last year our hotel bill alone was over $1100 for Spring Break- OUCH).

Could we use that $200 to pay down more debt? YES!
Could we get out of debt sooner if we did not go camping? YES!

But my husband and I have talked about it and opt to spend that $200 for a fun week with the kiddos, and since we normally spend SOOOO much more we feel good about the decision.

Anyone else planning a frugal Spring Break?

Confessions of Registered Dietitian Mom!

Food is such a personal choice. It's emotional, it's powerful and it's important. As a Registered Dietitian for going on 12 years now_ I get a lot of questions about what I buy for my family, how we eat, what to do about this fad or that fad etc. So I thought I would share how we do things in my household!.


1. I buy local when I can ( but it is not feasible for everyone). 
Buying local is important to my family. We like to know where our food is coming from, and supporting our local economy. Although there are some nutritional implications of buying local ( vine ripened tomatoes that are allowed to ripen naturally have more lycopene for example).  Sometimes though buying local can be more expensive. You have to really know how to shop by the seasons and in some cases have the ability to buy in bulk to get the best deal. However - if you do not buy local broccoli for your kids- I'm not mad at you! Please just feed your kids the broccoli!

2. My kids have a VARIED Palette!
I have three children ( ages 12, 10, 6) and they really are great eaters. They eat sushi, avocados, Indian food, hummus, etc. They really do eat a lot of different things. And your kids cold as well- it takes time. Start with perhaps just naan and plum sauce with your Indian food, maybe spread avocados on a cracker or toast, sushi doesn't have to include RAW fish- California rolls are our friend! Let them help you make the hummus at home and have them try it on their favorite veggies etc. Bottom line- let them explore, give them options and have lots of conversations about food ( where it comes from, what culture it's traditionally found in, look at it's country of origin on a map etc.).

3. I make wonderful home made pizza ( but I'm not above a frozen pizza either!).
We make a lot of home made pizza- like maybe once a week. I do use homemade sauce, home made crusts, fresh toppings etc. HOWEVER- if it's between my family of 5 going out to dinner for probably close to $40 or eating a frozen pizza from home- you better believe I'm popping in a Digornio! One slice of pizza with a nice green salad and maybe a fruit cup for dessert is still a HEALTHY balanced meal. Don't beat yourself up!

4. I grow A TON of veggies ( but I buy a lot from the store as well). 
I do have the summers off and we have some time to work in the garden, but we don't have enough time or energy ( or space or money for that matter) to grow every single bite of produce we would like. We have several blueberry bushes and I normally get enough to snack on and maybe enough for a few cobblers- but we love blueberries and I buy frozen blueberries for smoothies and buy fresh and frozen and yes even canned produce to supplement what we grow. It is OKAY! Please don't think that if your child ( or yourself) isn't eating only organic local blueberries that you can't have blueberries. I look for things that have no additional ingredients in them such as fruit in water or it's own juices, no heavy syrups. This year I ran out of canned tomatoes from our garden- we ran out of salsa, canned tomatoes, pasta sauce etc. so I buy it from the store. Just be careful on things like added sodium or sugars.

5. My kids crunch around on veggie sticks for snacks ( but they also love chocolate no bake cookies). 
It's about balance people. My kids eat cupcakes. They eat ice cream. They get a slice of pie every so often. But it's not several times a day. They got candy in their Christmas stockings and they ate it. It's fine. I bake normally on Saturday and I might make a cupcake or some peanut butter no bake cookies. They know though that they only can have one cupcake ( not 4 or 5 a day). It's a treat. They don't really even ask for sweets . They are used to just having them on occasion ( and since I bake themselves I know what is in them).

6. We don't have a deep fryer in our house.
Not much else to say about this- I bake or saute or roast everything. There really is no need for a deep fryer in your house. It's an extra appliance space on my counter and we have not had one in our home since we got marred 15 years ago. It's fine- we still get all kinds of yumminess.

Bottom line- just try your best. It's okay. Everything in moderation and please stay away from fad diets and hip trends. Have your kids drink water instead of sodas and give them availability to healthy foods.

What are some ways you try to keep your family happy and healthy?

Don't all 16 year olds talk about adopting one day?

Oh my goodness. These past few months. Almost a year actually- but these past few months have been such an emotional roller coaster.

I'll start way way back. Like when my husband and I were dating in high school. Yes we dated way back then and have been married almost 14 years now. I remember when we were dating and driving around in his truck we would talk about the day when our home would be full of little feet. Even as teenagers we knew that we were called to be parents. Even back then we talked about if we could not have children ourselves we would be open to adopting.

Well we graduated ( high school and college!) and got married and started working on our family. Within a year and a half of marriage we welcomed our first child- a beautiful baby girl. A bit later came daughter number two then several years later came our son. Three beautiful children. And let me tell you we are blessed. Blessed beyond our wildest dreams.

When our son was born we always thought we would have another. We prayed about timing and when God might see fit for us to try to start trying again. Many a night we prayed that if it was time for us to have another child that we would know. We never felt that the timing was right and never felt that calling to try to have another child.

So come last October we started feeling VERY strongly that adopting from foster care might be in our cards. We both prayed about it a lot and on January 1st of this year (2017) we submitted our paperwork to become a foster family with the intention of adopting.

Okay guys- the time is almost here. We've done paperwork and background checks and physicals and more paperwork, and home visits and this weekend we will finish up our training. Meaning that it could just be a few weeks ( probably longer but who knows?) until we see a child in our home. That is both terrifying and amazing at the same time. We are very excited about the possibility for our family to provide love and care for a child ( or children) that may need it.

I hope to talk a bit more in the coming days about the decision to become a foster family as well as some of the training we have went through ( it's been great by the way!) in coming blog posts.

If I can be an encouragement to just one person reading this then I'll be overjoyed. If this is just an outlet for me to write and share my heart- just for my sake- I'm okay with that as well.

Until next time!
Happy Homesteading Y'all!

Great Book series for young readers- Dave and Pat Sargent Books

We have 3 little ones: ages 8,6 and 2. The older two are of course really getting in to reading. I happened across a book written by Pat Sargent a while back at a yard sale or something and it had been in my daughter's book shelf. One day she found it , and read it. She couldn't put it down!.

Then she read it again. And again. I started looking online at Ebay, Amazon etc. and found that Pat Sargent has a whole series of "Barney the Bear Killer" books, as well as many other books her and her husband Dave have written.

The series my daughter really loves, is about Barney a black and tan coon hound, and his owner an 8 year old little girl, and their adventures in the Ozark Mountains. It is a wonderful series and I have since read them all to myself, and aloud to my younger daughter. My older daughter has read them all herself multiple times.

They do have another series for younger readers that each one teach a moral or character lesson.
They are called the Animal Pride Series and are very nice as well.

 

They do have their own publishing company as well and I have found many books at a bargain price at www.ozarkpublishing.us  . Many of the paperback books on that site are only $1!

 

I know it can be hard to get kids interested in reading sometimes, but this is a series my kids all really really love, and hopefully some of you will find it as lovely as I do.

Super Frugal and Fun Birthday Cake

With three little ones, plus a husband, plus myself it seems like birthdays are coming around pretty often.

Next time instead of purchasing a super expensive bakery cake, try this. I do it for most of the birthday's around here.

Make their favorite kind of cake, and frost it. Then spell out there name with colored chocolate candies ( aka M&Ms). It's always a hit and done for probably about $4 total, if that. The biggest expense are the candies. The kids love to help decorate as well.


Happy Homesteading Ya'll!

Raising Modest Girls in an Immodest World

Wow. Being  a parent is hard. It is of course full of blessings and smiles and gumdrops and all that goodness, but at the end of the day I am a steward of these beautiful little lives the Lord has blessed us with. And I want to do well! Having two young girls ( 5 and 7) I am really beginning to understand the severity of immodest behavior among others. Especialy in the way that women ( and girls) dress. Whew.

I found this cartoon in Pinterest and thought it was fitting for today's post:


I really have a desire to instill in my daughter's virtue and modesty.

1 Peter 3:3-4 says
" Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price."

In our home we have a few little unwritten rules that at least helps steer us in the right direction while raising our daugthers.

1. Mom is an example!
What?? That's right ladies, your daughters are looking towards you, and dissecting everythign you wear to learn how to dress. I am very aware of my outfits, and try to make sure that each and everything I wear is pleasing unto the Lord. I make a point to not wear v necks or other collars that expose any cleavage, make sure my skirts are loose and free flowing and make sure nothing is too tight.

2. Swimsuits
I am astonished at the parents that think tiny little bikinis for toddlers are acceptable. Not only are they teaching young girls what is okay for them to wear, I also fear that it lures the wrong kind of attention from people, we live in a sick world folks and evil people are out there. bikinis serve no purpose either, they just don't. We stick to one peices that have skirts attached to them, or even the two peices that are boy shorts ( or surfer shorts) and long sleeved rash gaurd shirts. It protects against sun burns better anyways.

Something like this ( not my kid by the way)

3. Play Clothes and other dresses
I see many 7 year olds in my daughters class with tiny mini skirts, tight, v neck blouses and skin tight shorts. I just sigh. What are they learning about being a modest female? How will they attract Godly men looking like that. Hey, just being honest! I have found beautiful cotton no shrink dresses fro LLBEAN.com that my girls love to wear, and they are loose, cover all the necessaries and they can easily play in them.


They love the matching tights and head scarves as well.

There are other places to buy modest dresses, although I'm beginning to be less and less impressed with mass merchants, who favor towards stuff with Justin Beiber plastered on every article of clothing, spaghetti staps and tiny shorts and skirts. I have found I can find some nice things on Ebay for cheap from LLbean, Lands End and even Gymboree has some nice long cotton dresses.


Is this a struggle for all you parents with daughters? Any other rules you dress your children by?



Linked up to Simple Living Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop til you Drop, Homesteading Barn Hop

A camping we will go

We are lucky to live in a beautiful country, and even more specifically a beautiful state with lots of  state parks, nature trails and hiking areas.
We went camping this past weekend and had a great time. I love to get the kids outside and playing with nature.

The girls loved the sign that said "Bear Country". We did not see any bears though. I think they were half hoping we would and half hoping we wouldn't!

Here is hubby and little guy hiking. His hat is as big as he is! It was a little cool though so we made sure to cover his ears. We have purchased a hiking carrier for him, it just wasn't in yet. Normally we don't lug him around like this. Poor fella...

We made it to the top though. Highest point in Arkansas thank you very much. This picture kind of cracks me up. The oldest one is blowing a bear whistle in my ear, the middle one claims the sun is in her eyes and won't look at the camera , the baby looks fine though.

The views were spectacular though.

It's great to see animals and insects and bugs. We saw a few squirrels, and some coyote poop ( we suspect) , we saw about 7 deer one night right behind our tent. There were tons of birds and butterflies out too!

Finally little guy had decided he had ENOUGH, and out he went. Great memories with a wonderful family!

Do any of you have plans for camping this Spring/Summer? What are some of your favorite activities?

Happy Homesteading.....


Linked up to Monday Homesteading Barn Hop and The Morristribe Blog Carnival.

Just a little insight....

I work a full time job. It's something I really enjoy, and it is something that I beleive is worth my effort. I work in Nutrition and Ag Research, evaluating the effects that having a school garden has on the students. The goal is to prove that there is merit in environmental learning and nutrition education in order to force policy changes. I also do some work in food deserts and bringing access to healthy foods to communities that don't have that. I love it. I stayed at home until my oldest was 4, but I felt that this was something that I really needed to do. It's a great job, I get to travel, great benefits, etc. etc. etc.

I say all that though to say that somedays, actually most days I really want to just be a stay at home mom. I enjoyed the time I got to stay home with the girls and feel that it was a blessing I got to for that long. I think it's a struggle for many moms.

Even though I work outside the home, we still eat homeade meals, I still do homeschooling lessons with my daughters, although next year the oldest will probably go to a public school. I sew. We have large gardens, an orchard, livestock and a whole variety of other fun stuff around our little "homestead". Normally once a month or so I host a litle "cooking" type day, where me and a friend and our families get together and put up food, if we have produce we can, freeze or dry, other times like this month we make homeade pasta and ravioli to use throughout the year. We all work for about half a day, then split whatever was made.

Thankfully, I have a wonderful husband who is very supportive, and our babysitter is a wonderful lady, who shares my vision for child raising. I think that among other things, I can be an advocate for working moms. I can say " I work too, but that doesn't mean you have to have fast food nightly, or babysit the kids with television at night.". It can be exhausting, but it is so rewarding.

It's not just a garden....

I love having gardens, I really do. But to me that space of land that is growing  things represents so much more than "just a garden".

It represents freedom. Freedom to be able to decide what your family will eat, how it was grown and how it was treated. It represents goodness, and hardiness, and nutrition, and sustainability.

It represents family. Growing up with a large garden and orchard, I remember that beautiful family time spent under the huge oak tree in the front yard shucking corn, picking peaches right off the trees and eating them until I got sick, sitting in the freshly tilled garden dirt with a spoon and a cup and playing in the dirt while my mom and dad worked in the garden. And now that I have my own family it represents continuation of that tradition. Some of the best talks my husband and I have are while we are bent over in the hot sun, picking green beans or filling a five gallon bucket with tomatoes. My girls carry on my love of dirt playing, and now have their own collection of garden spoons and cups to relish the long days of summer.

It represents hope. Hope for a future of ecologically minded children. Hope that the educational experiences that have absorbed through the garden will be far greater a benefit than anything they could learn in school. Hope that the lessons taught in the garden go far beyond that of soil science and pollination, but extend into character building lessons such as patience, thankfullness, givingness and love.

So much more than a garden.....

My father and my girls picking sunflowers one morning before church. I couldn't resist taking this picture.