Serendipity

I've been learning a lot about PERSPECTIVES.  The filter I use to look at my life will often determine my attitude and affect my future.  When I look at life through joy and peace, it makes a difference.  When I view it through fatigue and pain, it makes a difference.  Today I played with some textures on a photo I enjoy and got a practical object lesson in this way.  I'm sharing the fun I had below :)

The texture used in both edited photos is from The Kim Klassen Cafe and is her Serendipity.

Trusting the Gardener

Spring is my favorite time of year.  I love the first daffodils peeking up through brown ground, and sometimes even through the last remnants of snow.  They give me hope.

They prove that even though the glory of winter has passed and the vibrant jewel tones of fall have long since faded away, there is hope for new life already growing.

The hope goes beyond the garden, though.  It is hope for my soul.  You see, I have fading memories of bright times in my life.  These were times when I was a person I sometimes wish I could be again - bright, vibrant, unsullied by life's harsh realities.  I had the glory days of "winter" in my life at one point, too.  Times when I was covered with a layer of white; pristine and pure, a blank canvas just waiting for God to sculpt me into a lovely creation.

Sometimes, though, I resonant more with the days of early spring.  The mud, the brown grass and remaining leaves, the bare branches of trees, the empty gardens looking neglected and forlorn.  But for the daffodils.  Their yellow glow reminds me of God's glory and the hope that I have.

It does not matter what season of life I find myself in, nor does it matter what I can see around me.  All that matters is that I am rooted in the Beloved and that the King Himself planted me where I am, and He knows where I will grow best and bloom most beautifully if I but submit to His tending.  Sometimes a plant must be trained, transplanted, nurtured, pruned.  Other times it is planted and watered and left to grow.  It depends on the plant, the location, the environment.  But always the Gardener knows what is best and labors to love His work into a thing of beauty that is fruitful.

Simple Delights

Today was a day of simple delights and extra special blessings.  My aunt and uncle flew down from New York to visit us in Alabama; we haven't seen each other for two years and so much has happened in that time that it seems like much longer.  We also had a friend set up a gate in our yard so that we can keep the dogs out of the area where we play, garden, and just enjoy being outside.  And...the moment I've been anticipating for months...I also got to hang our cloth diapers outside on our new clothesline to dry!

There was something so fulfilling in seeing Lil Bit's diapers hanging in the breeze, their vivid colors and varied styles brightening up the yard.  The inserts were all lined up like little soldiers, precise and evenly spaced.  Tonight I took them down, their whites enhanced by the sun and their scent completely fresh!

We had dinner with my family.  Just chicken and rice, wonderful conversation, and much joy in being together.  The kids played cards with Aunt Pat and Uncle Bob and had so much fun sharing their lives with them!  It was nothing out of the ordinary, but it is a memory I will cherish for years to come.  I enjoyed setting the table with the cloth napkins we use every day, pulling out the plates we eat on regularly, and creating a table slightly more celebratory than normal -- just using what we have, to honor those we love.  Life, family ... these are worth enjoying and celebrating and honoring!

I'm learning that the simple life is fulfilling.  It is frugal, it is minimal - but it is rich in so many ways!  I hope to pass this on to our children and instill in them the values of contentedness that comes from within and remains unchanged by what happens around you.  It is not because of what we have that we are content; it is because of who we are and whose we are that we are fulfilled with our lives.


Linked up with MYHSM @ MomsTheWord

Menu Plan: 21 Days in the Kitchen

This week's challenge was a Menu Planning Challenge ... so I will share with you all my menu plan for this 3-week period.  I have found that, for whatever reason, when I plan for 21 days of meals I save the most time and money.  Not 14, not 30 -- 21.  So now I do a 21-day plan.  Here you are:

1. Tacos (ground turkey, shredded lettuce, picante sauce, sour cream, tortillas), Refried Beans & Spanish Rice
2. Blackened Chicken and Rice, Fruit
3. Pizza and Side Salad
4. Mashed Potatoes topped with Chili, Fruit Salad for dessert
5. Taco Salad with Tortilla Chips
6. Spaghetti and Side Salads
7. ~Leftover Day~
8. Mesquite Chicken, Rice Pilaf
9. Homemade Sausage Calzones, Salad
10. Sausage and Peppers Fritatta, Homefries, Fruit
11. Italian Wrap Ups (Blackened Chicken, Shredded Lettuce, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Mozzarella, Diced Tomatoes rolled up in a large Tortilla), Antipasto
12. Stir Fry (Kielbasa, Chicken, Veggies, Sauce) over Rice
13. Steak and Loaded Baked Potatoes
14. ~Leftover Day~
15. Easter - lunch with friends - bring Salad and Dessert {Cheesecake and Fruit}
16. Baked Potatoes topped with Chili Beans
17. Taco Salad with Tortilla Chips
18. Breakfast Casserole (English Muffins, Eggs, Sausage, Veggies, Cheese) with Homefries
19. Grilled Cheese, Bacon, and Tomato Sandwiches, Chips, Carrots and Dip
20. Leftover Breakfast Casserole, Fruit Salad (another favorite)
21. Grilled Cheese

For breakfasts we have cereal or a bagel or oatmeal.  Lunches are usually PB&J, fruit, and a side unless we have a treat which would be a pizza or french bread bagel or pasta.  Simple, inexpensive, and filling :)

It's All About You! {And Me}.

The lesson I'm learning in life is that it's All About HIM!  Really, it is indeed all about God.  But it doesn't stop there.  It's all about HIM and me.  You see, what I am learning is that God is a relational God and I have been made in His image.  Everything in this world has been done because He loves me and wants a relationship with me.

When I look at my life in context of that truth, it changes everything.  He is God.  He is Alpha and Omega and knows my end from my beginning.  He is Healer, Provider, Redeemer, Beloved.  He is intimate, personal, loving, and mine.  My whole life should not just be about Him, but about Him and me together.  It should bless Him, honor Him, delight Him.  It should recognize the fact that apart from Him I have no grace, no hope, no destiny, no meaning.  I was created to walk with Him.

I used to have so many dreams for my life.  They were great things, truly awesome endeavors.  And I am equipped to make them a reality.  I wanted to do them for Him.  But here's the kicker of it all: I never asked Him if He wanted me to do them for Him.  I had the revelation that it was all about Him and me together and I laid them all at His feet.  He's asked me to leave most of them there, and pick up only a few of them.  And He also gave me new dreams.  He's a good God!

I want to accomplish only the things I've been called to.  Nothing more, and certainly nothing less.

Right now, that means being a wife to my husband.  A wife that loves him wholeheartedly, faithfully without distraction, and who builds him up so that he can fulfill his God-created purpose.  I want to grow old with him, marking each day as a celebration of our love.  I want to appreciate him daily and not overlook the mundane, routine tasks that he does so that we can have this life together and with our children.  I want to create a haven at home for him to want to run to at the end of the day.  I want to do more here.  I want to learn to be joyful every day in my role as a wife, but more than that I want to find a way to realize the dreams we had when we were  younger.  I'm asking God about that.

It means being a mother to our three children and any others God gives us stewardship over in the years to come.  It means loving them, delighting in them, training them.  For us, it also means homeschooling them, which is an adventure and a challenge and a blessing.  It means not being too tired, too busy, or too overwhelmed with "important tasks" to play with them, but to joyfully embrace any opportunity to be with them and enjoy the few short years they are little.  It means creating a home for them to grow up safely in.  I want to learn to do more with them each day -- cook, clean, play, and grow -- in a way that will equip them for eternity.

But I also have a dream to write and to capture moments of life with my camera.  God has planted the seeds of two different books in my heart, and I know the time is coming when I will have them written and ready to place into His hands to do with as He wills.  I know that when I pick up a camera, it is a way that I offer Him worship, but also a way to help provide for our family.  If I had not time constraints, I would spend 2 hours a day writing and probably an hour (if not more) with a camera in my hands just learning and enjoying.  I would like to accomplish something with these gifts, something tangible that I can share with my children one day.  I have potential to do these things, and well, but they are not my primary focus right now.

This is my life.  This is who I am.  I've become much more simple in the last year to several months.  If I had to sum it all up quickly:

I want it to be about You, God.  

You and me, together - 

intimately, truthfully, joyfully, lovingly, trustingly, and completely.  

I want to dance with You.  

And I want to walk out every day of my life in a way that honors You 

and completes the purposes You have for me.

Yearning for Simplicity

Each day I do the same tasks over and over.  I wake up, nurse the baby, say good morning to my precious older two, and start the day.  I spend time with God, time cooking meals, time cleaning house, time doing laundry.  I spend time working on their schooling, time playing with them, time getting ready for Awesome Hubby's return home from work, time talking with my family over the table at night.

And I never feel cheated.

I never feel like I'm wasting my life or marking time.

I never feel like I'm wasting my potential.

I never feel like I'm supposed to be doing something else.

I never feel like I'm not good enough when I'm doing these things.

Okay, maybe that's not quite true.  I want it to be true, but it's not.  

After all, I'm human {oh, so human!}.  There are a lot of times I wonder if I'm allocating my time right; I constantly worry about being to get it all done and not go crazy at the same time.  And I used to fall into the trap of comparing myself to others all the time, but lately I've been better about that.  I think it's because I articulated who I am and who I am meant to be.  Knowing your purpose is a beautiful thing! 

I just want a simple life.  I used to have grand dreams and impossible goals.  I used to care what others thought and strive to live up to their expectations.  But I've been doing this thing lately that changed all that.  I've been walking in the cool of the day in the presence of the One I Love.  I've been accepting His Invitations to Dace with Him.  And it makes such a difference.

I have also been learning to delight in simplicity.  I have just as much fun bonding with the Princess Chef as I used to have going shopping and needlessly spending money on things we would end up donating to the thrift store months later.  We have more fun opening our home and giving the gift of hospitality to our friends than we did going out to eat all the time.  I find such awesome delight in accepting Lil Man's invitation to come out and play whenever he issues it!

And yet, I still yearn for more simplicity.  So each day I go through our home and I remove things we don't use or don't need that clutter our space.  I also do the same thing with the things that clutter our time.  Simplicity makes room for the things that really matter.  It allows you to be who you were meant to be without distraction, which in turn allows you to do all you want to do without hindrance.  Simplicity -- it's beautiful!

Can You Come Out and Play?

When I was a kid, I remember looking outside to see if the weather was good for playing out of doors first thing in the morning.  If it was nice out, I'd quickly dress, throw on my sneakers, wolf down my breakfast and grab my bike out of the shed.  I'd hop on it and ride through the neighborhood to my friend's house.  I'd knock on the door and excitedly ask, "Can Timmy come out and play?"

I'd stand there on the steps waiting for him mom to call him to the door and then I'd ask, "Do you want to come out and play?"  If he said yes, we'd both hop on our bikes and go round up some more friends to play a game, go fishing, or ride around.  Sometimes, though, he'd say no because he was already playing or had something else to do.  As we got older, that seemed to happen more and more; our interests went in different directions and we just didn't do that any more.

It's funny; I can remember still the crushing disappointment when he wasn't home or was otherwise occupied and couldn't come out.

And yet, all too often I deliver that crushing blow in my own home.

"Mommy, can you play with me?"

"Mommy, will you color with me?"

"Mommy, watch!"

"Mommy, want to dance?"

"Mommy, let's go for a walk!"

And my replies?

"Sorry, honey, Mommy has to finish cleaning."

"Okay, sweetie, I'll take a quick break.  I've only got a few minutes though."

"Maybe in a little bit; I'm trying to finish up."

"I can't right now; I need to wash the dishes."

"Oh, baby, I'd love to but the laundry is backed up and I have to get to it."

"How about we do that tomorrow?"

About three months ago, God really convicted me about this trend and reminded me how I felt, anxiously hopping from one foot to the other and hoping my friend wanted to come out and play.  He showed me that my children felt that same way.  And then He took it a step deeper and showed me what they were really asking:

"Mommy, will you spend time with me?"

"Mommy, am I a priority in your life?"

"Mommy, I feel insecure right now; will you spend some time affirming your love for me?"

"Mommy, I need a friend.  Will you like me?"

"Mommy, am I special?"

"Mommy, do you enjoy being my mommy?"

"Mommy, will you invest your time in my life or are you just passing time until I grow up?"

"Mommy, will you lay a foundation in my life now 

so that when things get tougher we'll have something to stand on?"

Today we visited a church that was having a baby dedication.  The pastor's wife gave the mom a toy as a souvenir for the little one, but also as a reminder to the mom to play with her baby because everything else in life can wait, but your child won't stop growing up just because you're busy.  What a lovely reminder!

Today I want to play with my kids.  I want my actions to show them that I enjoy them; I like being with them. Not only do I love them beyond belief, but I love being with them!  Not only do I homeschool them and keep our home for them, but I spend time with them.  I want to love them like my Heavenly Father loves me ... He is never too busy to listen to me, never to overwhelmed by all that He has to concern Himself with to reassure lil ole me, and never too important to lay down His life for this selfish child of His.

Mastering My Schedule: Hello, Morning!

I used to always get freaked by creating a schedule.  

Seriously freaked.

Why?  Simple.  Because I hate to fail and inevitably life would get in the way of my schedule and I would "fail" at keeping it.  And then I read a few books on scheduling.

I was even more overwhelmed.  So I scotched the whole schedule thing.

But as I would read my Bible, I would see over and over again how God is indeed a God of order.
So, obviously, order is a good thing.  An important thing.  A necessary thing.

And then it hit me: I had to master my schedule, but it was not my master.  Ah-ha!  Time to rethink how this whole thing works!  What would be my first step?

Mornings.  Yup, that awful time of day.  I have always said I'd be more amenable to the whole morning thing if it just happened a little bit later in the day.

This week I worked at getting out of bed earlier.  My goal was to add ten minutes each morning to my wake up time and by the end of the week I would be getting up an hour earlier.

That worked.  Kind of.

I did well 4 out of 5 days (one night the baby was just up all night long and then, early morning when he fell asleep another kid was sick and so we got all thrown out of wack).  But again, that's life.  I'm looking forward to continuing my journey -- for at least the 21 days it takes to form a habit, and then from that point on :)





Linked with: Homemaker's Challenge

The Heart of a Mother

The past few weeks have comprised a new leg on my journey as a God lover, wife, mom, and homemaker.  A stretch of the journey full of growing pains, if you must know.  For starters, I've had a hard time maintaining good time habits.  I also found myself getting a little more irritated with life than usual.  Random things seemed to pop up and need my attention that I never would have thought about.

But it's been a good thing.  Growing pains = growth.  And I've really needed this growth.  I can see a change in my home, my relationships, and my heart.

God has really been getting a hold of me.  I am reading the book of Acts right now and He has been calling to a more radical faith, a more powerful walk.  God wants us to live with the power of the Holy Spirit guiding us, making us dynamic forces that effect change in our hearts first, then our homes, and then the world around us.  I want to walk to closely with God that He emanates from me; I want to be a reflection of Him.

I started reading The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson, too.  You *have* to read it.  Every mother should.  What a beautifully written, amazingly eloquent explanation of God's plan for mothers.  It has helped me refocus my vision, realign my prioritize, and restore my heart to my children.  I can't praise it enough.  It has helped me change my time, my outlook, and has even helped me not get irritated during the day because I realized it was my thoughts and entitled outlook that led to that place.

We picked out a new homeschooling curriculum, too.  We will be using Tapestry of Grace.  And just reading about the vision that its author has cast has gotten a hold of my heart.  Yes, I am excited about the curriculum. Yes, I think it's going to rock our homeschoolin' socks off.  But more than that, I am excited for this chance to educate and {most importantly} disciple my kids during the time I have to raise them.

I hope that I can continue to remain excited about these growing pains.  I know, without a doubt, that they will be well worth it.  Have you experienced pains as a mom as you've grown?  I'm sure it won't be the last time I go through a season of growth, and it's certainly not the first.  What has God taught you during these seasons?

Deserted? Or Delighted?

There are times that I don't feel like I'm in a desert; I simply feel deserted.  Have you been there?

I know I'm not the only one who gets that, and yet when I'm in that place I'm convinced it is uniquely mine.

Yet just last night, God was whispering to me, "Delight in the desert."

Really, God?  Delight in it?  I can understand not hating it.  I even get being thankful for the outcome of my time there.  But delighting in it?  Hmm.

And yet, this is what He spoke to me.  So it must be possible.

For that which God calls us to He has also equipped us for.

The desert and the parched land will be glad; 

   the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. 

Like the crocus,  it will burst into bloom; 

   it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. 

{Isaiah 35:1-2}

When I feel dried up and parched, when I think I have been deserted, there is hope.  God can speak life to me and I will not only be revived, but I can burst into bloom, shout for joy with great rejoicing, and be glad.

In Deuteronomy 32:10 it says that He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.  Isaiah 35:6 reassures us that then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

Obviously, God really digs the desert.  There is a lot He likes to do in it.  He seeks out those who are in it, in a howling wilderness, and leads them and instructs them.  He ministers miraculous healing and equips those who are woefully in need.  

He creates sources of provision out of nothing!

My favorite desert verse, though, is found in Hosea 2:14-16.  Here God tells us through the prophet that He is going to call out to His wandering beloved and allure into the desert with the intention of speaking tenderly to her there.  He will RESTORE to her the things that have been taken from her and TRANSFORM her pain into HOPE.   And from that day forward she will be able to call Him HUSBAND instead of master.  

Okay, God.  I think I get it.  I can, indeed, delight in the desert.

Maybe not in the scenery or the inevitable sand in my eyes and dust in my food, but in the communion we are going to have there.  I can delight in hearing you more clearly because I have been stripped of every other influence.  I can delight in the restorative work you want to do in my life.  I can delight in your boundless provision that springs out of impossible circumstances.  I can delight in coming to as your beloved bride and calling out to you, Husband! 

Lord, take me to the desert.  I am hungry to delight in you!

Family Time: A Glimpse Into Our Home

Awesome Hubby works 6 days a week most of the year, which means he's only home 4 days a month.  That puts our time together at a premium.  The kids and I love when he's home, but we also appreciate when he's not because it means that he is providing for us.

We visit church on alternating weeks now since our only day off is on Sundays; that way we have one whole day of rest at home as a family every other week, but we also have corporate worship time as well.  Yesterday was our home day.  It was so wonderful!  We woke up, spent the morning in a fairly leisurely way and had a delicious brunch of sausage and peppers breakfast casserole, home fries, and orange monkey bread served with sparkling punch.  It's always an occasion when we are together, but sometimes we celebrate it more intentionally than others.  We then stayed at the table to do our family devotions and, much to our delight and surprise, the Princess Chef read all two dozen Bible verses to us for the day. 

We spent the afternoon working in the yard and around the house, then stopped for the evening to have a delightful time of fellowship.  We had another family over who is a true blessing!  For dinner we had a blackened chicken and alfredo lasagna, salad, and garlic bread followed by a chocolate chip cheesecake pie {recipe found on a great blog I enjoy visiting}.  It was truly fun to relax and visit with friends and just enjoy being in our home.

Family time has become so dear.  Instead of viewing days at home as days when we have nothing better to do, God has totally changed my heart to just loving our time together!  Whether we go somewhere or stay home, it is just nice to be together!  I hope our kids enjoy this time as they grow older as much as they do now.  I want to instill the importance of family in their hearts so that some day they will have their own and treasure time with them as well.  Family is the most precious blessing God has given!

The Secret to a Good Marriage: CHOOSE

Catchy title, right?

You must now be expecting me to disclose to you the secret of having a good marriage.

If you are, I'm sorry.  Sit down and process your disappointment.

I don't know it.

But I'm going to share with you things I'm learning that certainly help.  And they're not really secrets.  In fact, they are pretty much common sense.  But they seem to get overlooked by a lot of us in our business with living life.

First of all, love your husband.  Even if you don't feel like it.  Even if that seems impossible.  Even if he's human and makes it hard sometimes.  CHOOSE TO LOVE HIM.  Choose to love his role in your life, whether or not it's the one you thought he'd fill.  Choose to love who he is, even if it's not who he was on your wedding day.  Choose to love what he does for you, even when you feel it's not enough.  CHOOSE TO LOVE.

Next, pray for your husband.  Even if you don't feel like it.  Even if that seems impossible.  Even if he's human and makes it hard sometimes.  CHOOSE TO PRAY FOR HIM.  Choose to pray for the role he plays in your home.  Choose to pray for his blessing, favor at work, his relationship with the kids, and for his relationship with you.  Choose to pray for what he is and for who God created him to be.  CHOOSE TO PRAY.

Also, honor your husband.  Even if you don't feel like it.  Even if that seems impossible.  Even if he's human and makes it hard sometimes.  CHOOSE TO HONOR HIM.  Choose to honor the marriage covenant you made on your wedding day - instead of thinking about how he might not have.  Choose to honor the years you have spent together - instead of focusing on the days he's driven you nuts.  Choose to honor the place God has given him as head of your home - instead of trying to prove you could do a better job.  Choose to honor the work he does - instead of focusing on all you wish he would do.

Lastly {for today, anyhow}, appreciate your husband.  Even if you don't feel like it.  Even if that seems impossible.  Even if he's human and makes it hard sometimes.  CHOOSE TO APPRECIATE HIM.    Choose to be appreciative of the fact that he is your husband - thank God for him and thank him for being there.  Choose to be appreciative every time he does something, even if it's something you expect him to do (because let's face it, he could still not do it).  Choose to appreciate all the work he does, no matter how simple or complex it is.  Choose to appreciate that you are blessed to sleep next him each night.  And choose to do it through your actions and your words.

Like I said when we started, I don't necessarily have the secret to a good marriage, but I do think these are some great starting points.  What are some things you've picked up over the years?

Linked with Marriage Mondays, Titus 2s{days}

Time to PARTY!

Hey hey hey!  Howdy, y'all and welcome.  

My name is Lisa and I'm so glad you've popped on over for a visit!  If we "know" each other, welcome back and if we don't, well let's get to.  I've been married for nearly ten years to the handsome guy who was my best friend in college and we are the proud parents of three pretty awesome kids {the Princess Chef, Lil Man, and Lil Bit}.  We now live in the "Heart of Dixie", which is kind of fun considering both the Awesome Hubby and I are yankees {he's from northern Maine and I'm a New York gal}.

I have sporadically blogged here for a few years now, but have jumped back in with both feet over the last several months.  It's a place where I dump out my heart, mostly, and share with you the journey that I'm on as a wife, a mom, a homemaker, an author, a photographer, and a woman.  We all juggle a lot of hopes, dreams, fears, challenges, talents, tears, giggles, and anything else that life throws at us.  We have choices to make.  And we all need encouragement as we do that.  Graceful Abandon is a place I hope you'll find that {see, I really do hope you find that here!}.

A little about me: Well, above all else, I am a GOD LOVER.  He is my sole reason for being; He created me, He pursued me, He has relentlessly loved me.  I do my best to live in a way that points others to Him.  I'm on a journey of PASSIONATE PURSUIT and want to INVITE EVERYONE I MEET TO JOIN ME IN GETTING TO KNOW MY BELOVED.

I'm also a wife.  A wife who started out a decade ago with ego and sarcasm latched onto the love {and those things don't mix well!} and who is evolving and growing into a wife who is starting to get it.  Awesome Hubby is an amazing man; I don't know how he put up with me back then {no, really, I'm not just saying that -- I was a handful!}.  He works a LOT to make it possible for me stay home with our kids.  I totally love being a mommy!  God's grace has brought us a long way and I'm learning more every day about how much influence I have on the state of my marriage and our home.  

I chat about what I know.  So you'll find posts on marriage, posts on training up children {this post is one I still re-read to remind myself of what God is teaching me, ha}, posts about homemaking, and posts about my battle with wanting to do it all perfectly.  I've also blogged about my internal struggle between being "successful" and "just being a mom".


Above all, I want you to leave here wanting to WALK HAND IN HAND with God.

I introduced myself HERE a while back, but let me sum it up for you: I love my family.  I love my best friend, who is family, too.  I love to cook ... and eat.  NY pizza is my favorite food.  I like to sing {loudly & without talent} with the windows down and country music blaring on roads through the country on sunny days.  Snow is one of my favorite things ... ever.  I'm pretty much addicted to kitchen gadgets.  And rearranging the furniture in our home.  I also like color.  Our kitchen has been bright red, yellow, beige, white, and is about to get it's final makeover (I think).  I love vintage: aprons, furniture, accessories.  It rocks.  I tend to see life in "snapshot moments" and that has pushed me to pick up a camera and pursue my passion.  I love to write and have a book in the works.  I'm not sure I'll be brave enough to share it, but I'm working on it.  I'm kinda "crunchy."  I wear my baby, believe in trusting birth and doing it the natural way, make my own teas for remedies, use essential oils, cloth diaper {about half the time}, make my own granola and other snacks, and am even trying to get a garden to grow bountifully enough for me to have things to can.  I love using coconut oil.  I'm also huge into the whole frugal thing.  I love to find a good bargain and when I do, I just have to share because I'm so darn excited about it.  That's enough for now.  Have a great day!

You can find me here, on facebook, and on twitter.