3/11/24 - WORTH REPEATING

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If you are breathing today, life still holds opportunity.

~ When Life Feels Far from What You Imagined // Joshua Becker // Becoming Minimalist

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If you find yourself caught in the relentless pursuit of wealth, take a moment to reflect on what truly matters to you. Remember that money can buy comfort and convenience, but not happiness or fulfillment. Find your balance and nurture the aspects of life that are truly priceless.

~ I was determined to be rich, but then life showed me why the greatest joys aren’t things you can buy. // Tina Fey // HackSpirit

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The pain of being homeless - the endless waiting in welfare offices, the thoughtless dismissal, the terror of the streets, the endlessness of the long, dreary days, especially Sundays. The burdensome struggle to carry everything you own with you, the desperation of loneliness, the fear when the sun goes down, the biting cold of a careless February afternoon. The longing to have just five minutes alone with your kid for just one night, the distant memory of shared moments of joy and peace a long, long time ago. These are all real things that happen to real people.

~ Kip Tiernan, quoted in Sanctuary: Kip Tiernan and Rosie's Place, the Nation's First Shelter for Women // Christine McDonnell and Victoria Tentler-Krylov

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We may impress people with our successes. But we connect with people through our weakness.

~ How to Have Meaningful Relationships in an Increasingly Digital World // Joshua Becker // Becoming Minimalist

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A pat on the back, though only a few vertebrae removed from a kick in the pants, is miles ahead in results. 

~ Bennet Cerf // Winning Words: Quotations to Uplift, Inspire, Motivate and Delight // Allen Klein

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BRACES ON FACES - 5TH SET

When I made the goal of getting #BracesOnFaces for all the little Ws, I said I'd reward myself with a set of my own once theirs were all on. My pie chart was filled a couple weeks ago and today was my day!!

I'm obviously not excited about actually having braces on, but I can't even explain how thrilled I am about the end result. I've wanted braces for as long as I can remember - thirty years, if we start counting at the beginning of high school. That's a long time! I'm uninterested in many of the appearance things that lots of females care about, and am low-maintenance about others, but I've always wanted straight teeth when I smile. Always. Of course, crooked teeth have never kept me from smiling, but still ... straight ones are a luxury that I've long desired.

I also have a major overjet that probably could have been fixed with braces when I was younger, but would require jaw surgery to correct in my mid-forties. I'm just going to let that one go. I've adapted my eating habits accordingly and life goes on. But straight teeth? Oh, that's going to be awesome!

Anyway, back to it being my turn to get some metal in my mouth. I've always included three pictures when I post about the kids' braces - them with me and our ortho at the office, their full pie chart, and me with them at home later in the day. I have extra pictures for this post about my own set because there were extra awesome things about the experience.

First, I was told upon walking in the Senestraro Family Orthodontics office that they had something for me. A friend had anonymously dropped off a care package for me yesterday. A #BracesOnFaces care package, to be exact. A blue (one of my two favorite colors) bucket filled with soft food, tylenol, tea, chocolate, a Jamba Juice gift card, and an emoji balloon. I got all choked up when it was handed to me because I'm just constantly stunned at how supportive people have been through this whole process.

Check out the label. I love it.

Gray tape was added to the balloon to look like braces. Perfect!

Second, there was a woman in the waiting room who looked familiar, but I couldn't place her. As she was called back by name, I realized she's someone I met through my time as a Pampered Chef consultant. We're Facebook friends, but have never met in person. It was neat to have someone from that season of my life, which was the start to the whole #BracesOnFaces journey, be in the building at the same time I was there to get my own set.

I eventually went back to get my brackets on. The staff has been so supportive of us from the very start and one of them said we needed a picture of me finally getting my brackets put on. So I grunted through the gear in my mouth and did a bunch of hand motions to tell her where my phone was and she took some shots for me.

The third awesome thing about my appointment was that the office scheduled a friend at the same time. I'm an extrovert who hasn't spent time with friends in 2 1/2 months, so it was a treat to have her there at the same time. And because the staff is awesome, someone stood on a chair to get a shot of me and Tammy at opposite ends of the room.

And done!! I had to get the traditional shot with the doc and pie chart, but this time there wasn't a little W in the mix. The happy mom was the happy patient!

And then we took a friend picture. Bliss.

We'd already walked out the door when Tammy asked if I'd taken a picture by the "Braces On" sign. I hadn't because I never do (I guess the pie chart picture is our family's version), but I walked back in and got one. This milestone day has been a long time coming, so I may as well take all the pictures I can. Right?

Finally, Tammy and I headed out for post-braces ice cream (which my frugal self was charged half-price for with a coupon and paid for with a gift card ... score!). The coldness is a numbing agent for tender mouths, therefore making the ice cream medicinal. And necessary. Of course.

Braces usually aren't a necessity, but I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to provide them for the little Ws and to get them for myself. So stinkin' grateful.

I'm also really grateful for an incredible ortho staff (SFO has offices in Sherwood, Wilsonville, and Woodstock, if you live in the Portland metro area and want a free consult), the thoughtfulness and generosity of the friend who gave me the care package that made me feel so loved, and time with my friend after such a long season of isolation.

1/15/20 - WORTH REPEATING

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To be without friends is a serious form of poverty.

~ It Happened on 5th Avenue


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If you want to learn how to enjoy life and craft something you do not need to escape from, you can do so. It may require you to change your mindset, your pursuits, or where you focus your energy, but it is always worth it.

~ Joshua Becker in How to Craft A Life You Don’t Need to Escape From on Becoming Minimalist

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We don’t have to monetize or optimize or organize our joy. Hobbies don’t have to be imbued with a purpose beyond our own enjoyment of them. They, alone, can be enough.

~ Molly Conway in The Modern Trap of Turning Hobbies Into Hustles on Man Repeller

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We are loved when we are carried, and loved when we are the carriers.


~ Emilie Kleiner in this Facebook photo


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I want a life I cannot pay for
I want a life I can't afford to live without
I want a life I cannot pay for
I want a life I can't afford to be missing out

I don't wanna be 85, singing
"Oh, no, I think I missed it, I was chasing money"
I don't wanna be 85, singing
"Oh, no, I got a big house, but my heart is ugly"

~ Andy Grammer in 85 on The Good Parts

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** This post contains affiliate links and I'm grateful when people use them. **

BRACES ON FACES - 4TH SET

Remember that goal I set a while back to pay for #BracesOnFaces at the pace of one set per year? And remember how the second and third sets went on faster than that? Well, today we headed to Senestraro Family Orthodontics and the fourth set went on!!

Tyler is the last little W to get orthodontia and is now sporting braces and an expander, the latter of which he's the first of the sibs to get. We, of course, had to take our now traditional picture of the newest patient, excited mom, filled pie chart, and awesome orthodontist.

Isn't this pie chart amazing? Our portion of the total cost was less than the other kids because he'll have two phases of orthodontia instead of one, and the first phase, which this chart represents, costs much less than what the single round costs for each of the bigs. That's a huge part of why his chart filled so quickly, as well as an insurance change that's provided some reimbursement for the big boys' braces that we paid for totally in cash. However, it's still amazing that his pie chart filled up in about five weeks and his braces were on less than three months after Naomi's. 

He's pretty pleased with his red and black rubber bands! As for me, my role as a mom has just had a new task added to it. Expander adjuster extraordinaire. Well, given my test run in the office, the "extraordinaire" part might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I'm sure I'll be a pro in no time flat.

The fifth pie chart is already filled in to the 50% mark, which is phenomenal, and I'll be the next one to get #BracesOnFaces. I'm so very grateful for how this whole adventure has gone! 

BRACES ON FACES - 3RD SET

Our original plan for #BracesOnFaces was one set per year, but the first two sets were on in 15 months. Then we adjusted the plan for the next sets to take as long as needed because I was no longer working a part-time job to pay for them. Lo and behold, the third set went on just a couple weeks past the two year mark of our start on this adventure. Amazing! 

Naomi headed into Senestraro Family Orthodontics yesterday morning without braces, then came out a while later with lavender and teal rubber bands adorning the brackets on her teeth. As we did with Silas and Devon, we got a group picture of the patient, doctor, mom, and pie chart. 

Let's take a closer look at her pie chart. It was only five months from the first 5% to the final 5% and only nine months from Devon's turn at braces to Naomi's. Nine months!! Without working a job to pay for it. Folks, the way God's worked this out has been amazing!

Naomi headed out with Pam within minutes of returning home, but I got a picture of my newest braces wearer later in the day. 

I'm so, so, so thankful for the means to get braces for three kids in two years, a phenomenal ortho staff, and friends who share in my excitement of the progress we make in our quest to get #BracesOnFaces.

Next up? Tyler. He'll have two phases of orthodontia, one soon-ish and another when he's older so the next pie chart will be for his first phase. And because God just keeps blessing our socks off in this area of life, our portion of Tyler's first phase will be covered by insurance reimbursements from Devon's braces. How cool is that?!

SOME GOOD NEWS ABOUT BRACES ON FACES

As you know, I started a Pampered Chef business in September 2017 for the sole purpose of financing what was dubbed #BracesOnFaces. As you also know, I stopped my Pampered Chef business a little over a year later. Silas and Devon were both able to get braces on because of the money I earned during that time, as well as from a little bit I earned from Amazon affiliate links on my two blogs, Random Conversation Starter book/printable card sales, and some unexpected gifts from generous people.

We know that all the little Ws will need braces, but we won't go into debt for them and the pace for saving money for the next two sets would be much slower because I'm no longer working an extra job to pay for them.

Well, the plan has changed and I'm simply giddy. So stinkin' happy.

We took Naomi in for her consultation at Senestraro Family Orthodontics five weeks ago just to see what kind of timeline we're looking at and how much we need to save before she can get her braces. (Sidenote: Their staff rocks! If anyone in your home needs braces, go in for a consult and tell them we sent you.) She still needed some teeth to fall out, so we're supposed to check back in September to see if her mouth is ready, but we were given a quote for what her braces will cost.

The first blessing is that I have a little bit of money saved toward Naomi's braces from when I sold off all my excess Pampered Chef products after I stepped away from the business. I created a goal on YNAB (that's a referral link, so don't hesitate to ask me about it if you have questions) for Naomi's braces and discovered when I punched in numbers today that we already have enough to color in the first slice of her pie chart!! How cool is that?

The second blessing is that we've had a change in insurance coverage since the big boys got their braces on and knew we'd get some money to apply to her set. Anything that saves us cash is a big deal!

The third blessing is my favorite. It turns out that active treatment also gets covered at a pro-rated amount by our new insurance. That means Silas and Devon will get some coverage for the braces they're currently wearing, the braces we already paid for in full 13 and 4 months ago. That means we're getting money back!!! The SFO office, who is well aware of our pie charts and hard work for braces, will move the refunded money right into Naomi's account instead of cutting us a check. I don't have final numbers and I never give out exact dollar amounts anyway, but it's quite possible our total out-of-pocket expense for Naomi's braces will be in the triple digits, not quadruple.

AAAAGGGH!!!! I just can't even believe it!!

Folks, it was so awesome to see how Pampered Chef provided for #BracesOnFaces, and it was so discouraging when I had to quit. Even though I'm now totally confident about and at peace with no longer having a job on the side to meet this particular need, I feel like this new development is God's way of confirming I did the right thing at the time and that now is not the time to take on extra work. I sometimes pride myself on my ability to stretch a dollar, but he's so much better at it!

DOUBLE DATE DAY

We had a schedule change that allowed Tim and I to head out for a short date on Thursday morning. We'd already used up our "couple time" budget for the month, but I still had two Starbucks gift cards I'd earned at the start of my Pampered Chef business. So that's where we headed! It was nice to spend an hour just chatting about life and enjoying hot drinks.

Later on in the day I mentioned some movie passes we'd been given more than a year ago and suggested we go watch a late show. Midnight. That's what time we left the theater. Wowzers! Let's just say I don't bounce back from late nights out like I used to and had to take a nap on Friday. It was fun, though, and I'm glad we went.

Thinking about our double date day this morning brings a few things to mind.

First, I'm not a very spontaneous person. I really like making plans and sticking to them. There are obvious benefits to my personality, but I'm trying to choose present over perfect more often and that requires some spontaneity. It's not easy for me and there's usually fallout (like exhaustion the next day), but more often than not the pros outweigh the cons.

Second, I'm thankful we can regularly set aside money for time together now and have kids that are old enough to be left home alone. People always say dates are something you should budget for, but evidently those people have never had an income without any wiggle room beyond essential bills. We've been married nearly twenty years and this is the first time we've consistently budgeted for dates. If you can't afford to pay for dates with your spouse, you can still find ways to enjoy time alone for free or just choose to be content in a dateless season of life. But don't ever feel like you're failing at finances or marriage simply because you can't budget any of your paycheck for dates. Seriously. Don't.

On the flip side, if you have money for more than the essentials in your life, consider blessing other couples with gift cards that will allow them to have some free dates. Whether you have cash to spare or not, you can also offer to watch a couples' kids for free. Babysitting rates are absolutely insane and keep so many couples from enjoying some time alone. Trading babysitting and date nights with another family is a solution we've used at times, but sometimes it's nice to enjoy a date without having to put an extra commitment on your calendar in order to repay the babysitting swap.

Finally, marriage has ups and downs. I know that's not exactly a newsflash, but I also know it can be discouraging to see the fun other couples are having together (or appear to be having) when your own marriage is in a rough season. Tim and I really enjoy each other right now and getting two dates in one day was so awesome, but there have been seasons when going on a date wouldn't have made our list of top ten things to do on any given day. Some of those seasons were brief, others were long. My challenge to you is to enjoy the comfortable seasons, not give up through the hard ones, and never compare what you know to be true in your marriage with the limited view you have of another couple's marriage.

And now back to the original purpose of this post. Two free dates in one day? Jackpot!!

BRACES ON FACES - 2ND SET

Devon had an appointment at Senestraro Family Orthodontics yesterday and is now sporting braces. I'm completely blow away by how quickly this happened! Just like we did with Silas earlier this year, we took a picture of all of us and the pie chart I tracked our progress on.

This pie chart makes me smile. (And the 75% slice makes me twitch because I absentmindedly wrote the date in the wrong spot. I confess to almost printing a new pie chart and redoing it at that point.)

The support I received along the way as I worked my Pampered Chef business was amazing, the little checks I've earned from Amazon affiliate links and Random Conversation Starters sales have helped, and some unexpected gifts have filled my heart even more than they filled the pie chart.

I took a picture with the second little W to receive braces after we got home. I'm super excited for him!

Two kids down, two to go! The next sets will be a slower process, as I'm no longer working a part-time job to pay for it, but that's fine. Those kids are younger and there's no rush. We'll just keep plugging away at saving money and filling up pie charts until we've paid for all the #BracesOnFaces.

BOOKS I FINISHED - MAY, JUNE, JULY, & AUGUST 2018

The Home for Unwanted Girls, written by Joanna Goodman

This novel is about a young, unwed woman forced to give up her baby, a woman who never gives up on finding her daughter.. It's also about a woman raised in an orphanage, then, along with all the other orphans, declared mentally ill so the institution can receive more money, a woman who endured horrific treatment as a child and made her way in the world as an adult. It's about these two women finding each other.

Hurricane Season, written by Lauren K. Denton

Two sisters, one a single mother of two kids and the other unable to have kids, work through their personal struggles as the former leaves her kids with the latter for a summer in order to pursue a career goal.

p. 272, "In my experience, no time spent on a worthwhile goal is ever wasted, even if you don't get what you want right then."

Meet the Frugalwoods: Achieving Financial Independence Through Simple Living, written by Elizabeth Willard Thames

Encouragement and advice, given through the sharing of the author's personal experience, about not getting caught up in our culture's materialism, setting goals and doing whatever it takes to reach them, taking control of your finances, and being intentional in the choices you make about how you live your life.

Myth of Multitasking: How "Doing It All" Gets Nothing Done, written by Dave Crenshaw

I read this book three years ago, but checked it out again after it came to mind during a discussion I was in. A quick read, it clearly communicates the ineffectiveness of multitasking and gives suggestions for how to manage time more wisely.

p. 11, People are proud of their skills at multitasking, but the truth is that multitasking is neither a reality nor is it efficient.

p. 27, (quoting Jonathan B. Spira, CEO and chief analyst of Basex Research) 2.1: Average estimated lost productivity per person per day due to interruptions, based on a 40-hour workweek.  $650 billion: Estimated annual loss to the U.S. economy due to unnecessary interruptions plus recovery time

p. 46, (quoting Mary Kay Ash) No matter how busy you are, you must take time to make the other person feel important.

p. 48, "Saying that you're a good multitasker is the same as saying that you're good at using a less effective method to get things done."

p. 76, (quoting Publilius Syrus) To do two things at once is to do neither.

Out of the Dust, written by Karen Hesse

Dust storms. The loss of a mom. The grief of a dad. The guilt of a daughter. The discouragement of s disability. The power of music, perseverance, and time. This is a school book for the kids that I read myself.

Outrun the Moon, written by Stacey Lee

Set in San Francisco in the early 1900's, a Chinese teenager wants the best education she can get, but it's only available to the wealthy white girls. The creativity and resourcefulness that lands her in a prestigious local school are the same traits that will help her serve her community when disaster strikes.



p. 72, "Sometimes you have to throw out lots of sand to find your nugget. But you'll never find it if you stop shaking."

p. 152, Is it a weed, or something more valuable? But what is a weed, other than a plant that's out of place through no fault of its own? Just like those building on Market Street, weeds are survivors. Long after all the other plants die, weeds live on.

p. 156, Ma says a thoughtful person makes a better friend than a person full of thoughts.

p. 163, Mrs. Lowry says silence is wisdom's best reply.

p. 232, Is it harder to give up one's dinner, or take it as charity?

p. 287, Maybe sorrow and its opposite, happiness, are like dark and light. One can't exist without the other. And those moments of overlap are like when the moon and the sun share the same sky.

The Wise Woman and Other Stories, written by George MacDonald

The Wise Woman is filled with life lessons centered around two girls, one a peasant and the other a princess, in need of behavior and attitude changes. It's also indirectly about parenting and the long-term effects of the choices we make in raising our kids. This is a school book for the kids that I read myself.

p. 23, People  are so ready to think themselves changed when it is only their mood that is changed! Those who are good-tempered because it is a fine day, will be ill-tempered when it rains: their selves are just the same both days; only in the one case, the fine weather has got into them, in the other the rainy.

p. 26, ... for a fancy in her own head would outweigh any multitude of facts in another's.

p. 47, But the man who will do his work in spite of his fear is a man of true courage.

p. 53, However strange it may well seem, to do one's duty will make any one conceited who only does it sometimes. Those who do it always would as soon think of being conceited of eating their dinner as of doing their duty. What honest boy would pride himself on not picking pockets?  A thief who was trying to reform would. To be conceited of doing one's duty is then a sign of how little one does it, and how little one sees what a contemptible thing it is not to do it. Could any but a low creature be conceited of not being contemptible? Until our duty becomes to us common as breathing, we are poor creatures.

p. 58, But the shepherdess was one of that plentiful number who can be wiser concerning other women's children than concerning their own. Such will often give you very tolerable hints as to how you ought to manage your children, and will find fault neatly enough with the system you are trying to carry out; but all their wisdom goes off in talking, and there is none left for doing what they have themselves said. There is one road talk never finds, and that is the way into the talker's own hands and feet. And such never seem to know themselves - not even when they are reading about themselves in print.

p. 82, "Nobody can be a real princess - do not imagine you have yet been anything more than a mock one - until she is a princess over herself, that is, until, when she finds herself unwilling to do the thing that is right, she makes herself do it."

p. 107, "For you," she said, "you are sufficiently punished by the work of your own hands. Instead of making your daughter obey you, you left her to be a slave to herself; you coxed when you ought to have compelled; you praised when you ought to have been silent; you fondled when you ought to have punished; you threatened when you ought to have inflicted - and there she stands, the full-grown result of your foolishness! She is your crime and your punishment."

** This post contains affiliate links and I'm grateful when people use them. ** 

BRACES ON FACES - 1ST SET

I started my Pampered Chef business, which I run completely online, on September 5, 2017. My goal was to finance one set of braces in a year, a goal that was attainable without having my job consume my life. Six months, three days, several Pampered Chef paychecks, a little bit of Amazon affiliate and Random Conversation Starters income, and some totally unexpected gifts later, the first set was completely funded on March 8, 2018.

As I've said over and over, this experience has been so exciting and humbling. I'm incredibly grateful for a fun job that's allowing me to meet a need in our family, while also allowing me to be home full-time. I so thankful for people who have supported the endeavor through doing business with me, cheering me on, and helping in tangible ways.

Yesterday Silas had an appointment at Senestraro Family Orthodontics and walked out of the building with braces. So awesome! The office is aware of the pie chart I've been filling in along the way and someone suggested a group picture with the chart.

I love the picture because that piece of paper symbolizes so much more than a dollar figure and the fact we were all standing there together after just six months is nothing short of miraculous. Let's take a closer look at the pie chart.

Isn't that awesome?! Of course, I also required a picture alone with the recipient of the first set of braces before the day ended.

This #BracesOnFaces adventure has been fun and I can't wait to see how quickly the second pie chart, which is already colored in to 10%, gets filled up!

Photo credit: The group picture is from Sarah Hall.

8/23/17 - WORTH REPEATING

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However, if I were to nail down suffering's main purpose, I'd say it's the textbook that teaches me who I really am, because I'm not the paragon of virtue I'd like to think I am. Suffering keeps knocking me off my pedestal of pride.

~ Joni Eareckson Tada in Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of My Diving Accident at The Gospel Coalition

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If Miss Frizzle was a real person, I'd want to go to public school just so I could be in her class.

~ Naomi on 8/21/17

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Oh, restless heart, do not grow weary / Hold on to faith and wait / The God of love, He will not tarry / He is never late / So I wait in the promise / I wait in hope / Yes, I wait in the power / Of God's unending love

~ I Wait from Poets & Saints by All Sons & Daughters

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Y'all, the word budget is not a bad word. It's not an inappropriate word. It's not even a negative word. For real. It's a POSITIVE word.

~ Crystal Paine in We Need to Have an Honest Conversation About Budgeting at Money Saving Mom

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You are the God who always sees us, even in bare and desperate seasons / No matter what the circumstances, you are the rock on which I stand / You are bigger than all my fears, God of love, God my love / You are bigger than all my dreams, God my hope, God my peace / What will come my way, through each day I will say / God, I trust you, I trust you

~ Bigger Than, single by For All Seasons

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6/2/17 - WORTH REPEATING

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With each social expectation for weddings, I asked myself: "Does this achieve the goal of making the people at my wedding feel loved and appreciated for the role they play in my life? Will it help strengthen my marriage and the promises we made to each other?" If the answer was no, I didn't waste any more time.

~ Emily Hardman in I Planned My Wedding in 5 Days. You Could, Too. in The New York Times



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You have encouraged me to give a cup of cold water in His name and not to worry if the cup is chipped or the house is a mess and all I have to offer is a peanut butter sandwich, because people need a friend more than they need to be impressed with how together we have it.

~ Sandi Heitz at 32:16 in Barbara Lynn Perkins Memorial Service on Youtube  (That's my mom's memorial service, for those who aren't familiar with my family.)


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Your children are watching. 

Don't write off the last few weeks of your year. Please. I beg you. Don't do it.

Unless you would allow your child to do the same, don't give him the example of throwing your hands in the air and declaring that the thing you want to do has won over the thing you ought. Don't show him that it's o.k. to set a course, navigate the waters faithfully through storms and floods ... and abandon ship before you reach the shore. You may think that there's no consequences in gifting your child a few early weeks of summer, but the message sent is this:

I want you to work really hard and with your whole heart, and give me your full focus...

Until something else better comes along.
Until I'm too tired to keep going.
Until we can do more fun stuff.

You don't want to raise adults who think that way. The world has enough of those folks.

~ Heather Schwarzen in Finish Strong at To Sow a Seed


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The roots grow deep when the wind is strong.

~ unknown


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If you chase after more money and make more money your end goal, you'll never, ever be satisfied. Because there's no such thing as "enough money" when more money is your goal. < snip >  Money doesn't satisfy. Money isn't the answer. If you chase after money, you'll always be chasing after more.

~ Crystal Paine in "I Am A Multi-Millionaire!" on Money Saving Mom


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YOU NEED A BUDGET

I mentioned this on Facebook yesterday, but also want to share it here.

You Need a Budget (YNAB) is a wonderful tool for managing your money. I mentioned it back in March 2016, shortly after we'd ended our trial period and paid for a subscription, and we're still using it now. Yesterday I discovered I'm part of a limited group of YNAB users who get to try their new referral program, giving them a chance to fix any problems before they do a major launch.

What does the referral program mean for you? First, you get their 34 day trial, which is always free. Having the trial period last a little longer than a month is great for helping you to see how everything rolls over from one month to the next. Then, if you decide it's helping you to be wiser with your money, keep better track of your spending, or to coordinate with others you share money with, then you can subscribe and we'll each get a free month credited to our YNAB accounts. Getting things I love for free is always a good thing!  

A subscription is $45/year, which is pocket change for some of you and nearly unattainable for others. It was more on the unattainable side of our monthly budget when we decided to take the plunge, so we paid for the first year out of our tax refund. Then we created a line in our YNAB budget for the next year's subscription and started putting $4/month toward it, which gives us just over the necessary amount once it's time to renew.

If you don't have $45 to spare right now, but want to try YNAB, then start putting away a few bucks a month until you have enough to pay for a one year subscription. Then sign up through my referral link to earn a free month once you have the cash in hand.

Also, if you're a college student, you can get YNAB for free. Given that credit card companies bombard students with opportunities to sink themselves in debt, YNAB decided to offer those stame students a free opportunity to manage their money wisely. Isn't that cool?

I think YNAB is excellent for people who don't have a clue where their money is going and want to get their spending under control, helpful for people who are really visual, good for people who enjoy planning ahead, and super user-friendly. I encourage you to take advantage of the free 34 day trial. If you decide at the end that it's not something you need or want, then move on. If, on the other hand, you can see that it would be worth a few dollars each month, even if that means an extra meal of beans and rice, then sign up through my YNAB referral link and stretch your dollar a little by getting a free month. 

4/19/17 - WORTH REPEATING

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You see, what thanksgiving does is it puts hope in the mind. 

~ Tony Evans in Overcoming Anxiety Strongholds, part 2 at OnePlace

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In the middle of the night / When worry finds me / In the middle of the fight / When strength is gone / In the middle of a fire / When fear is closing in / You are, you are my song / You're my hope when hope is gone / So, I will cast my cares on you, the almighty / I will cast my cares on you cause you're good / I will cast my cares on you cause you love me / You love me / Oh, oh, because you love me

~ Tim Timmons in Cast My Cares on Cast My Cares


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I have learned that when you are walking with Jesus, the Holy Spirit is always up to something. And when it comes to conviction, I have found the Spirit to be gentle but relentless. 

Change and transformation is an ongoing process. I am always grateful how the Spirit isn't harsh or overwhelming but rather how at the right time and in the right moment, we know it's time to change. 

~ Sarah Bessey in So I Quit Drinking at Sarah Bessey


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So number your days, dear friends. Ask yourself, how can I worship God with my life today? How can I worship Him today with my relationships, activities, and attitude? Then ask Him to help you do that, because He will.

~ Tauna in Number Your Days ... and worship with them at Proverbial Homemaker


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Give, and give some more. We're never happy when we are hoarding. Taking our minds off of ourselves and caring for others will go far in keeping us motivated and on track in all areas of life. 

And being generous doesn't mean you have to give money, although it can. You can give of your time as well! The rewards here go way beyond anything you can earn financially. 

~ Tiffiny Sheyda in Turn $10 into $24,000 Without Ever Leaving Home at Money Saving Mom


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12/6/16: WORTH REPEATING

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(Education) should not be intended to make people comfortable, it is meant to make them think. Universities should be expected to provide the conditions within which hard thought, and therefore strong disagreement, independent judgment, and the questioning of stubborn assumptions, can flourish in an environment of the greatest freedom.

~ University of Chicago President Hanna Holborn Gray being quoted in the Report of the Committee on Freedom of Expression


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Empathy is often the hard-won child born of a willingness to listen with our whole heart, not just the head on our shoulders.

~ Heather Schwarzen  in You Live In A Bubble. We All Do. at To Sow a Seed


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(I) want to offer you the most important piece of home buying advice you'll never hear from someone else: Buy only the home you need, not the house you can afford. 

~ Joshua Becker in The Most Important Home Buying Advice You'll Never Hear From a Realtor at Forbes


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First class was for people who read leadership, personal improvement, and spiritual books. Business class was for people who read management books. Economy was for people who read fashion magazines and chewed bubble gum! < snip > Or, in other words, if we read material that is first class, then we become first class. 

~ Jen Brimhall in Like a Boss: Why Parents Should Read Like CEOs at Raise the Good


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If God granted everything you asked in the last twelve months, would YOUR world change or would THE world change?

~ Lane & Susan Morris' September 2016 newsletter


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BOOKS I FINISHED - MAY 2016

The Beach Trees, written by Karen White

A woman who's spent her life searching for her missing sister befriends a woman whose own family is searching for her. When the second woman dies, the first woman becomes guardian of her child and ends up helping to unlock her family's secrets. In the process, she learns about moving forward when it seems impractical.

p. 222, "Sometimes you got to put up with a whole bunch of ugly so you can appreciate a little bit of beautiful."

p. 332, The word that came to me now was "defiant". Because a person had to be defiant to be able to stand amid the wreckage of her life and instead of shaking a fist, pick up a hammer.

Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul to Rest, written by Bonnie Gray

Crystal mentioned this book a couple times on Money Saving Mom, so I got it from the library. The first few chapters were really timely for me to read, hitting me right where it hurts (in a good way), then it fizzled out for me. I can't put my finger on why I lost interest, but I did. I skimmed the rest of the book, but didn't read the whole thing.

p.28, My greatest fear was failing to find the freedom I believed came from walking with Jesus.

p. 40, What is the mat you want me to pick up, Jesus? What realities have I accepted living with for decades that have been immovable parts of my identity?

p. 46, Even trusting God became a test of my resolve. Rest became a battle to run away from the things that break me  - instead of allowing the brokenness to bring me to him. All this running, it's exhausting.

Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden and Your Neighborhood into a Community, written by H.C. Flores

The title is pretty self-explanatory, although the book goes beyond basic gardening and gives various ideas for how to use our resources in responsible ways. Anyone, regardless of their commitment to environmental concerns, food sources, or community involvement/relationships, could find at least an idea or two from the book to put into practice.

p. 2, Those who control our food control our lives, and when we take that control back  into our own hands, we empower ourselves toward autonomy, self-reliance, and true freedom.

p. 210, Try spending a week without any clocks, calendars, or mirrors. < snip > Imagine waking up when you feel rested,eating when you are hungry, celebrating holidays on whatever day you want, and basing your self-image on how you feel rather than how you look.

p. 211, If you spend five minutes every day looking for your keys, that's thirty hours each year. If you spend a few minutes creating a convenient place  to keep your keys and train yourself to put them there, you can use the saved time for something you enjoy.

Living on Less and Liking it More: How to Reduce Your Spending and Increase Your Living, written by Maxine Hancock

Peg mentioned this book when I asked about books people read multiple times and it sounded like one I'd like. The book serves as a good reminder that we live in culture that encourages us to constantly spend money, rack up debt, and never be content. Not only that, but many Christians live under the false belief that material wealth is a sign of great faith and holy living. Many of the ideas presented are ones I already felt strongly about, so there were a lot of quotes I liked. Here are some of them.

p. 29, (referencing Mark 12:43-44) Jesus enunciated a principle of reality in the kingdom of God: that our giving is not measured by the amount we give, but by the amount we have left over when we have given.

p.48, And, since all the other joys of life are actually dependent upon contentment, it is contentment we need most to learn.

p.66, But allowing yourself to buy things you cannot afford today, in the hope that you will be able to afford them - plus interest - next month, is living a myth.

p.74, And, as C.S. Lewis puts it, "If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small."

p.111, Whatever the solution to meeting the housing needs of your family, the real joys of any home are not in the size of shape of the physical plant, but in the spirit of love and contentment that prevails within the walls.

p.121, I have found that God is just as accessible from the square of linoleum that is my kitchen floor as He is from the loftiest mountaintop conference.

p.131, There is a sense in which feeling "poor" or "rich" depends only upon to whose condition you compare your own.

p.136, Real poverty is when material things are uppermost and pressing - whether because we have too few or too many of them. It is poverty, because the human mind and spirit are made for higher things, worthier pursuits.

p.138, Godliness is using the good things of this life as God would, as a means of bringing blessing to others.

p.141, The good life is not one which can be defined as being above any arbitrary poverty line. It is, simply, "godliness with contentment." It is simplicity with dignity. It is having without holding.

Moloka'i, written by Alan Brennert

Liesl recommended this book and, being totally unfamiliar with the leper colony that used to be on the island of Moloka'i, I was intrigued. Although it's a work of fiction, it's inspired by specific people and is a realistic portrayal of that time and place. The story is about young girl in the late 1800s who finds a red spot on her skin and is sent away from her family because of it, then follows her life for decades as she grows up and makes a life for herself at the settlement. Parents, kids, adoption, love, marriage, friendship, courage, fear death, life ... it's got a little of everything and serves as a reminder that your life is what you make of it, that your attitude matters so much more than your circumstances.

p. 205, Fear is good. In the right degree it prevents us from making fools of ourselves. But in the wrong measure it prevents us from fully living. Fear is our boon companion but never our master.

Thirteen Reasons Why: A Novel, written by Jay Asher

Debi recommended this book in a reading group I'm part of. Heart-breaking and sometimes disturbing, but also important, it's the fictional story of a teenage girl explaining why she chose to end her life. Her creatively designed explanation is interspersed with the reaction of one of her friends.

p. 53, - but the point is, when you hold people up for ridicule, you have to take responsibility when other people act on it.

p. 156, No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people. Oftentimes, we have no clue.

p. 201-202, You don't know what goes on in anyone's life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person's life, you're not messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can't be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person's life, you're messing with their entire life.

Everything ... affects everything.

A Thousand Nights, written by E. K. Johnston

The library linked this book on their Facebook page and the description reminded me of Susan Fletcher's Shadow Spinner, which I loved, so I checked it out. It's a young adult book about sisters, marriage, murder, life in the desert, royalty, family, loyalty, and magic.

BOOKS THE KIDS LIKED

Chalk, illustrated by Bill Thompson

A wordless book about chalk pictures that become real when kids are drawing.

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3/29/16 - TEN ON TUESDAY

Brothers - These two took off one morning after finishing their school work. They ran about 1 1/2 miles out to Big 5 and Miranda's, bought shoes and Mexican pastries, then ran back. It's fun to give them freedom as they get older and I'm glad they enjoy each other's company (more often than not, anyway ... we're not a perfect family).

YNAB - In early February Tim and I did a free trial of You Need a Budget, then paid for a one year membership when our trial was up. I manage our budget just fine, prefer pen and paper over electronic methods of most things, and don't like to spend money on something I can do just as well for free. So, what made me fork out the cash for YNAB? A few things.

First, it's convenient for Tim and I because we can both access our current budget and add transactions from anywhere. Second, the budget areas I call "flex", the ones that change from month to month and that sometimes have money shuffled between them, are easier to keep track of with this program than with the envelope system I was previously using. Third, ... actually, those are the two main reasons. I like how easy it is to balance my checkbook and appreciate the visual of seeing our whole money situation in one glance. I strongly believe that it's really important to know where every dollar is going and YNAB is one way to do that. We'll re-evaluate next year, but right now I'm glad we're using it.

UPDATE: As of 5/26/17, I'm part of a small group of people selected to test out YNAB's new referral program. If you use my YNAB referral link (I also updated the one a couple paragraphs above this), then you and I will each get one free month credited to our account once your trial is up and you pay for a subscription. I wrote a little more about YNAB here.

Friends - Heidi and Shalee were in town for a few hours. I got to hang out with them for a bit and Heidi snapped this picture of the three of us.

Cookies - Heidi sent some cookies home with me for the little Ws, which they obviously enjoyed.

Grocery Money - I've always used cash for groceries, withdrawing what I've budgeted for the month and sticking it in an envelope. This month I've used a debit card, just to see if it's worth making the switch. The month's almost over and I'm still undecided.

Eggs - I don't really care about dyeing Easter eggs, so I boil a bunch and then let everyone else have fun with them.

I don't have any other Easter pictures, as our egg hunt was interrupted by a rainstorm and was decidedly not fun. We went to church, as always, but I never bring my camera to church, and Tim did Resurrection Eggs during dinner. It was a pretty low-key day here.

Reading - A few times a week I end up reading books to these two in my bad at the end of the day. I love it.

Teebs - He dug out the dress-up bins one day.

Food - We've tried several new recipes this month - quinoa, kale, cranberry, walnut, and butternut salad, Greek garbanzo salad, chipotle chicken salad, sesame garlic beef tacos, and cauliflower spread.

Puzzles - We love puzzles and almost always have one going around here. Naomi took advantage of a great deal on Amazon back in December and gave puzzles to the three biggest puzzle lovers. Teebs got the 300 piece Mountain Duel, which he's put together multiple times and I've never photographed. Devon was given the 1000 piece Dogs Galore, which was, hands down, the hardest puzzle I've ever worked on. I prefer not to use the picture on the box as a guide, but I caved about 15 minutes into this mass of white, black, and brown fur and pink tongues. Check it out!

We recently finished the one I was given, the 1000 piece Kitchen Cupboard, and I loved it! Quirky, with lots of little details and patterns to match up ... and I forgot to snap a picture to prove we finished it before I gathered it up and put it back in the box. Next time!

ANOTHER MONEY MANAGER IN THE MIX

I came up with an idea back in September 2011 to help Silas, Devon, and Naomi keep track of their money - fabric envelopes to replace the paper ones they'd previously used. Heidi did a perfect job of turning the idea in my head into something I could hold in my hand. Or put in the kids' hands, as the case may be. They've been using fabric envelopes now for almost as long as we used (and replaced and used and replaced) paper ones. The fabric envelopes have held up incredibly well! You know I'm super frugal and don't like to spend money on something when I can make do with what I have, but these are worth every single penny we've paid for them. Seriously.

You can get the whole scoop on how we handle money with the kids in this old post, as well as get links to the other kids' envelopes, but the point of today's post is that Teebs turned four last month. The month after their fourth birthday is when little Ws start getting paid, so this was his first month having an income. We told him on his birthday last month that his gift from Tim and I was going to be budgeting envelopes like the sibs, but that they wouldn't arrive until this month. He started squealing and jumping when he saw the picture Heidi sent of the finished product on Tuesday. The envelopes arrived on Thursday, but life was busier than usual and he didn't get to open the package until Saturday morning. He was giddy!

The bigs budgeted their January money at the start of the month, but we had him wait until he could do it with his new envelopes. So, this was him counting out the right bills and coins for each envelope.

I said I wanted a picture of the envelopes spread out in front of him and this is what he did. Evidently he needed to be as close to them as possible and sitting up just wouldn't suffice.

As you can see, his budgeting categories are the same as the bigs', although they each have a different color scheme than their sibs.

Teaching our kids how to manage money is really important to me and I'm excited to have Teebs join Silas, Devon, and Naomi in that process. Getting to use sturdy, colorful envelopes just makes it more fun.

Heidi doesn't post on her blog, The Blissful Stitcher, anymore, but you can check it out to see her work from the past and I can put you in touch with her if you're interested in getting some budgeting envelopes for yourself or your kids.