Creative and Meaningful Gifts for Seniors

I share a birthday with two fabulous seniors...my sweet  Grandmother-in-love and neighbor  (pictured here), and a dear lady from my church, who always takes the time to give me a call if she isn't able to speak to me personally on Sunday!

Our family is blessed to have an above average number of senior adults in our lives. While we cherish a simple approach to Christmas gift giving, I find that this time of year is an ideal time to be an extra blessing to the older adults we cherish. Many of  the following gift ideas can be given with little or no monetary expense on the part of the giver, but they go a long way to show that you care for the needs and happiness of the recipient.  Here are some of the things we keep in mind as we consider gifts to seniors:

* Gifts of Service: Think of the areas where the senior is limited and attempt to meet a need around the home or yard. This can be done with labor you personally provide or in the form of a gift certificate to hire someone else to do the job.  Ideas include: gutter cleaning, computer maintenance, cell phone updating/lessons ( my son updates my contacts for me for Mother's Day every year and I love it!), snow shoveling, garden tilling, window cleaning, car washing/cleaning....and much more!

*Paying for a Regular Expense: Gift certificates for hair cuts, car maintenance, vet visits for pets; paying their phone or electric bill for the month.

*Gift From and For the Kitchen: If a senior is still living at home and able to cook for themselves, consider giving them a gift for their freezer.  Containers of pre-chopped vegetables ( items like celery, peppers and onions that are often used in cooking) can  be a real luxury for someone who has arthritic hands and finds chopping difficult. Freeze them individually on a tray ( thus avoiding a frozen hunk of peppers that are hard to separate!), then place in small zip lock bags in small amounts. Homemade soups can be frozen in ice cube trays ( for easy defrosting) and divided into freezer bags ( 4 cubes per bag) for single serving size portions.  Who doesn't love easy access to a hot cup of homemade soup on a cold day?  Freezable containers can be bought that hold meals "T.V. Dinner style" and filled with delicious, complete meals from your kitchen. Homemade cookies can be frozen and given as a gift for the freezer, or you gave a rolled "log" of homemade cookie dough for slice and bake cookies. Seniors can bake just one or two cookies at a time in their toaster oven for a warm and tasty treat! Homemade bread can be frozen after slicing so the bread can be defrosted and eaten one slice at a time. Remember to label everything  in large print, with defrosting/reheating instructions and expiration dates clearly visible.

*Favorite "Old Fashioned" favorites:  Seniors may not be comfortable ordering from the Internet themselves, but you have access to many of their "old favorites" that cannot be found in local stores. Perhaps they have a favorite cleaning product, like Bon Ami or Fells Naptha soap that is hard to find, or a favorite kind of candy (like Neco wafers,horehound candy, or Boston Baked Beans) that is not commonly found locally. Check out Internet and catalog options such as The Vermont Country Store, Mast General Store, or Lehman's and see what kind of things you can come up with that will feel familiar and be appreciated. If you are not sure, ask another senior for ideas! Place a collection of products together in a gift basket.

*Homemade Gifts: Grandparents and great grandparents love gifts that connect them to their grandchildren.  Frame some of your children's artwork, make a calendar for the new year with family photos, decoupage items using family photos ( jars for pencil holders,wooden trays, paper mache boxes...).  You can also have your older children write a 30 day devotional using their favorite Bible passages. Younger children can decorate the book with their artwork or you can add in some family photos. What a joy for a grandparent to be able to see the spiritual growth and maturity of their children's children!  

*Donations: Consider giving a gift to someone in need in honor of a senior.  Make it as personal as possible, perhaps giving to an individual or family your know personally. If appropriate, provide the senior with a prayer card for the recipient of the donation so they can be in prayer for them, and perhaps even with an address so they can encourage the recipient with a note or card as time goes on.

*Special idea for those in Assisted Living Facilities and Nursing Home Settings: Audio books or uplifting music; something to share with visitors: chocolates, instant coffee, hot chocolate, or tea bags if they have a microwave; pretty paper napkins to use with visitors or to brighten up their meal times; something in the way of room decor to personalize their room ( check with the facility for regulations); boxed cards and stamps so they can send birthday cards to loved ones; small photo books they can show to staff and visitors.

Enjoy blessing those wonderful senior adults this Christmas and let me know what ideas you have for blessing this special group of people!

Fall Savings at the Thrift Store

Fall can be an expensive time of year if you have children. This, of course, sends me flying to the thrift stores.  Clothes for a new season, back to school supplies, and holiday decorations are all wonderful items to be searching for as you visit your thrift store this fall, especially early in the season while the selection is at its best.  

Back to School Supplies...We use lots of three ring binders in our homeschooling and in the older children's classes outside of the home.  Each of my four school age children require 6 binders each, plus a huge binder ( read pricey) for their own yearly portfolio. If purchased new, we are talking about spending around a hundred dollars in binders alone. EEK.  Thankfully, businesses often will donate their unwanted binders to charity thrift stores. I can almost always find them for a dollar or two, in good working order, and in nearly-new condition.  I try to find the binders that have a clear pocket front so the girls an decorate them to their liking....just slide in some cute scrapbook paper and a label, and a plain-Jane folder is suddenly cute as a button. And all this personalized cuteness for less than half the price of the new "generic" binders. Thrift stores are also a great place to find general office supplies like staplers, desk sets, and filing supplies. If I need something for school or home office I always check the thrift store first. 

Holiday Decorations...I am not all that into decorating for holidays and seasons.  I like to keep things simple, simple, simple.  However, I do have a fireplace mantle that begs for adornment. Every year when I take the Christmas decorations down from the mantle the whole living room looks bare. Anyway, this is the season when thrift stores are putting out all those fall and Christmas decorations that have been collecting in their back room for the past year. This weekend  I  found a lovely round felt table cloth for three dollars.  It features the 12 days of Christmas in beautiful hand-sewn bead work.  I don't need a round table cloth, but do you know that in my 18 years of marriage we have never had a tree skirt for our Christmas tree?  With a few cuts and a few stitches I can easily re-purpose this table cloth into a most beautiful tree skirt.  I also found a fall leaf garland for two dollars. I was quite thrilled since this type of item is not something I could justify purchasing new. It is already on my mantle and it adds a lovely fall glow to the whole living room! I am pretty sure that both of these items would have been gone by the end of the day if I hadn't purchased them.  If you need holiday decorations, shop your thrift stores now for the best selection. 

Clothes for a new season... Well, I am sure you already know all about this :).  Shop early for best selections, check carefully for stains and tears, get what you need, but don't go overboard just because there are good deals out there. Enjoy the bargains that the Lord leads you to with a thankful heart. He provides for our needs, and sometimes ...in His own good time... even for some of our "wants".  Happy Fall :)

This post is also linked to Growing Home!

Plucking and Planting: Late August in the Urban Garden

The Lord blessed us with a great year in our little urban garden! We have enriched the soil with worm castings for the first time, eaten our first watermelon, picked dozens of zucchini, experimented with companion planting, grown our first heirloom tomatoes, enjoyed the wonder of homegrown potatoes, savored fresh green beans, had smoothies packed with back-yard-chard ( Swiss Chard!)...not to mention  experienced countless moments of joy in watching little seeds turn into plants, and then into food.  I absolutely love gardening.  As a result, this time of year, the "plucking up" time, is always a bit depressing.  No more daily watering; no more puttering around in the dirt and sunshine;no more lush greenery when I step out my back door and when  I pull up into our parking place.  *sigh* 

Cherry tomatoes...a huge hit this year!  We acquired 7 bushes at 50 cents (!) each from a local grower.( Thanks, Mom!)  Lots of yummy homemade salsa this summer!

Lillian Yellow heirloom tomatoes. I purchased one plant from a local back-yard grower for  one dollar.  This has been the best producing full-size tomato plant this summer. In fact, I still have about 8 tomatoes ripening!  These are tasty and are quite beautiful when dried in the dehydrator! 

We didn't have one problem with disease with any of our heirloom tomatoes this year.   The Lillian Yellow was planted with two varieties of basil, and directly beside four pepper plants.  All flourished, which makes companion planting worth trying again, in my opinion!

 Well, this year I am being proactive about dealing with the no-garden-anymore- blues. I am reading all I can about fall gardening in our zone and the news is good! While I have grown both lettuce and Swiss Card in the fall and winter before, I am going to try it on a much larger scale this year.  I already have 18 cups of seedlings adorning my kitchen window sills! Hopefully, I can put these out as full plants when I am also putting our new seed and have a "staggered" crop this year. I purchased seed from a local "feed and seed" store and have been very impressed with how quickly they have sprouted indoors.  I spent three dollars on three scoops of seed and will be thrilled if I can provide an entire fall's worth of greens for my family from our garden!  I am also reading all about greenhouses.  Starting plants from seed in those chilly no-gardening months...hmmm.... :)

a tiny squash...but he grew it himself!!!

This post is linked to The Homestead Barn Hop. Come on over and see what other gardeners are writing about!

You can join me at Raising Homemakers and Far Above Rubies ( click image below) for their link-ups as well!

Summer Thrift: Estate Sales

I am always on the look out for unique and useful items at bargain prices. This summer I have discovered estate sales, and what a discovery it has been!  Overall, the quality of goods is higher than at garage sales and thrift stores. The items for sale are not random things that people don't want any longer, but rather, EVERYTHING you find in a household. There is often an abundance of vintage items, as well as a nice selection of newer things in great condition. Estate sales are wonderful for building up your yard and garden tool selection.  Wheelbarrows, rakes, hand tools, and flower pots can be found at the right sales. High quality table and bed linens (often vintage) are also usually available at very reasonable prices. Clothes, suitcases, holiday decorations,appliances, kitchen ware, and dishes...you name it! If I am looking for something specific, like a wheelbarrow, I try to go the first day while the selection is good.  However, the real bargains are found on the last day when items are reduced 50%.  The items in the photo above were purchased at half price for a  total of $5.60! Not only did I get a great deal, but I now have some unique and useful items that are in keeping with the era of my home. I love that! The red clock came right off the laundry room wall of a home in my neighborhood, and right onto my own kitchen counter.  I enjoy thinking about the lady who looked at that clock while doing her chores, and about her filling those salt and pepper shakers so long ago when they were new.It is good to know that other generations have been engaged in the tasks I do today! Estate sales also give you a great perspective on the "stuff" we use in this life.  We aren't taking any of it with us when we depart from this earth and this truth is clearly seen as you prowl through someone's house, seeing all the things they have collected over the years.  One day, the treasures we thought were so important here on earth will be sitting around on tables for bargain-hunting strangers to search through. Do we believe a thing to be useful?  Is it beautiful?  We may enjoy it here for a limited time, but let us not give up the more eternal things for the temporary during our time on earth!

For more ways to save money this summer click here, here, and here !

Summer Thrift:Buying in Bulk from Amazon

I am at the point in my summer where I begin thinking about how I can help the school year get off to a good start. I mentioned in my post on summer routines that I try to begin putting some extra meals in the freezer to kind of "ease" us into a busier season of life.  Another thing I like to do is stock up on some of the gluten-free/ allergy free baking mixes and snack foods that come in so handy during the busy school year. Amazon is great for this! Most people do not even  know that Amazon has a Grocery and Gourmet Food section. Gluten Free Bisquick, Pamela's Mixes, 1-2-3 Gluten Free mixes, and others can all be purchased in bulk at a substantial savings...especially if you have used your Swag Bucks* points for Amazon gift cards! As the mother of a 4 year old who needs to have allergy free treats on hand for birthday parties,church activities, trips to the barber, and so on, I especially appreciate the 5 pound bag of Yummy Earth Lollipops. I can keep a stash of them in the car, in the back pack, in my purse, in the choir room,and at the grandparents, and feel pretty prepared for the times when someone is giving out a treat he can't eat. Stretch Island Fruit Leathers are another item that can be purchased at a discount and put aside for parties, picnics, field trips, and so on. Stocking up relieves a great deal of pressure in my daily life and eliminates the need to run across town to the health food store when a special event is on the horizon. Of course, you have to be disciplined about not going through items too quickly just because you have them on hand. I find that hiding items and not letting everyone know just how many we have on hand is a very effective technique :).   Even if you are not dealing with food allergies in your family, you will be surprised at the variety of bulk grocery items you can purchase from Amazon. It is a great way to bring some of the organic and healthful snack foods into your diet at a more affordable price. Spend some time browsing through the options and stocking up for your school year ahead!
And while I am on the topic of Amazon, I do want to thank all of you who have ordered through the Amazon ordering link on this website. Every order is appreciated and is a help to us!  Thank you!!

* Swag Bucks:  A few people have asked me about my Swag Bucks button in the side bar. What are Swag Bucks? Swag Bucks is a way of searching the web and earning points during certain randomly selected searches. Points can be redeemed for many things, including gift cards to places like Amazon and Target ( my two favorites!).I soon hope to redeem $25.00 dollars worth of gift cards that were earned with Swag Bucks points! It is truly like getting paid for something you are already doing...searching the Internet! You just sign into your account  and do your Internet search from their site, just like you would do on Google or some other search engine.You can also refer people to Swag Bucks and earn points that way. If you sign up through my Swag Bucks banner you are automatically  "referred"  by me and I will be credited. It has been a great thing for our family!

Summer Thrift: Homemade Garden Soil

At our home, gardening is one of the joys of summertime. There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of nurturing plants and watching them flourish, creating both beauty and delicious food for our family. However, the expenses of gardening can add up if we are not careful.  This is especially true in the area of garden soil. Because I am hoping to expand my garden a little each year, I have recently been investigating ways to create my own high quality soil. Here are some of the ingredients I have been learning about:

* worm castings: I have been using these this year and the results have been fantastic. We purchased them from a family  business specializing in organic farming supplies. The cost was minimal, especially because we were able to travel to their warhouse in person and take our own containers to fill. There is no odor at all and they can be placed on beds that are already growing.

*rabbit manure: Years ago, my friend S. introduced me to the wonders of rabbit manure when I asked about her stunning rows of Swiss Chard. According to Spring Warner, in her wonderful book The Quarter Acre Farm, rabbit scat is "wonder manure", the highest in nitrogen, and abounding in phosphorus and potassium. Like worm castings, it can be applied directly in beds. In fact, Spring Warner says that earthworms can even be raised directly under a rabbit cage. This produces, in her words, "manure squared." I haven't called around yet, but I am sure there are numerous sources for free or nearly free rabbit manure.

*recycled coffee grounds: Spring Warner also mentions collecting used coffee grounds from local coffee shops. I had been collecting my own used grounds, but sure enough, a quick contact with my local coffee shop gave me access to large amounts of used coffee grounds...free for the asking! I just have to go on a designated day and pick them up!

* old leaves and kitchen compost: Several years ago my husband made me a rotating compost been out of a recycled barrel.  Since then we have faithfully saved kitchen scraps and old leaves.  The results have been amazing. You can read about composting all over the Internet, but  let me say that the work of saving scraps and turning the compost is well worth it! It is a great area for even the smallest children in the family to participate. We add earthworms  to our bin and my little guy thinks the business of finding and transporting earthworms is the best job ever!   If you want to make your own bin there are "How-To" videos on You Tube for many different styles of bins. We keep a small plastic box on our counter for scraps and empty it a few times a day. It works well for our family.

Although we have used some of these things to enrich our soil in past years, I am preparing to combined them all to actually make our own garden soil for next year's garden.  I would encourage you to read The Quarter Acre Farm about Spring Warner's adventure in urban gardening. Of all the things I have read on the topic of homemade soil , her description in the chapter "Dollar for Dirt" is the clearest. Pleasant ( and thrifty!) gardening!

This post is linked to Homemaking Link-up.

Summer Thrift: Homemade Popsicles

 Summer is an ideal time for forming new habits and trying new things. It is a great time to reflect on what is working and what isn't in the area of thrift. I often find myself sitting on my swing in the afternoon, watching my children play, and asking the Lord for new ways to better use our resources. My husband works harder than any man I know, and I do not want to use this hard earned money carelessly. Even more than that, I want to honor the Lord with our resources and be able to give more to His work around the world.

One of the best ways I have found to save some money during the summer months is homemade popsicles.  I simply cannot imagine summer without popsicles!   For that matter, I cannot imagine the flu, pregnancy, or dental work without popsicles! They are at the top of my list when it comes to refreshing comfort food. When food allergies came into our life I realized that I was going to either have to allot a huge portion of our grocery budget to fancy frozen tasties ( ...not possible, of course!), or I was going to have to find a homemade variety that surpassed the rock-hard homemade frozen pops of my childhood.

My friend L. came to my rescue! I have tweaked her recipie a bit to suit our needs and here is our delicious, easy, and thrifty result:

2 c. boiling water
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 c.  100% fruit juice or smoothie

After dissolving the gelatin in the hot water, add juice, stir, and pour into molds. You may need to modify the juice to water ratio depending on how sweet you like your pops. For a special, and admittedly less healthy treat, we substitute the juice with 1 packet Invisible Kool-aid ( dye free, watermelon flavored) 2/3 cups sugar, and 2 cups water.  This is a nice option if you cannot tolerate artificial color. They are pictured above, along with one, lone apple juice pop. This recipie makes 16 pops for just pennies! I try to keep several batches, and at least a couple of varieties, in our freezer. They are soft, flavorful, and so very refreshing on a hot summer afternoon!  Enjoy!

This post is linked to Our Simple Country Life and Far Above Rubies. Come visit and see what other bloggers are writing about in the area of homemaking!

Frugal Fridays:Serving Snacks in Coffee Filters

Sometimes I find myself serving snacks to a crowd ...birthday parties, snacks for sports teams, play dates, family and church gatherings.  I don't always have enough real dishes, and sometimes I am needing disposable  options for individual servings. Several years ago I discovered an unexpected solution in my coffee supply drawer... paper coffee filters! We use a reusable coffee filter now, but I always keep some paper filters on hand.  Filters like the one above come in packs of 200. I paid 99 cents for my most recent pack from Aldi. Some snacks may require more than one filter for additional support, but even at that, this is a very economical disposable paper product. For young children, I find the cone type coffee filters to be more manageable. They are slightly more expensive, but are super easy to hold onto. And did you know that you can put coffee filters in your compost when you are finished with them?  This makes me appreciate this solution even more!  The next time you are serving a snack, think out of the box ( or out of the dish cupboard!) and let me know what creative solutions you find!

This article is linked to Frugal Fridays at Life as a Mom. Enjoy reading frugal tips from other bloggers!

Unconventional Clothing Storage

Our youngest daughter inherited a small dresser from her sisters, who inherited it from me. It gave our family a good 40-some years of use, but it was time for it to retire.  In addition to the various parts ( drawers, handles, legs...) that fell off on a daily basis, Spunky had grown to the size that her clothes didn't fit in the tiny drawers any more. Things were always hanging out of the drawers, or the drawers couldn't shut all the way, or things ended up piled on top because they wouldn't fit. Definitely time for a change!   I have been searching for a used dresser, but haven't found the right item at the right price yet.  This weekend I decided we had to do something, so we purchased these storage bins from Big Lots. The older girls made some cute labels so she could easily tell what goes where. ( I never hesitate to appeal to a girl's sense of wanting things to look pretty...I think it is just part of who girls are, and if they like the way it looks they are so much more likely to keep things neat!) We pulled out an old coffee table that we had painted pink and were using as a little coloring desk. Ta-da!!! Efficient clothes storage!  I can easily see if she is keeping up with her clothes properly, and it is easy for her to quickly put away her laundry and choose her clothes. We removed several items that she didn't really need, so she now has a manageable amount of items to care for as well. If and when we do find a dresser, I am quite sure the bins will find a new use somewhere in the house, but for now I think this is a wonderful solution.

This isn't our first experience with clothing storage challenges. Prior to living in our current home, we lived in a barely 1200 square foot home....2 adults, 5 kids, and a large black dog.  People have lived in smaller spaces, I am sure, but we always seemed to be grasping for ways to make a bit more space.  I was forever bumping into people or things! The first thing to go into storage was the dressers. For years everyone had an "under the bed" rolling storage box for their clothes.  This worked quite well. ( I think a grandmother or two were initially horrified by the thought of keeping clothes under a bed, but they got used to it!) Another friend with a large family uses storage cubes for her children's clothing. I know other people find a family closet to be helpful.  There are really all kinds of ways to manage, thrive, and keep thing lovely in your home. Whatever your  current "problem" is, remember that it is often our limitations that bring out  creative solutions. Instead of grumbling, we can approaches our challenges as opportunities to see and do things in a new way. Who knows what inspiration might come to mind and give your home a change for the better!

This post is linked at Our Simple Country Life.
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Stretching Your Easter Dress Dollar

I love little girls' dresses. There is nothing more fun that to see a little girl innocently celebrating her femininity in a beautiful garment. The day I found out I was having my first girl I asked a friend to teach me to smock. I enjoyed smocking dresses for our first girls, but found myself far too busy (and the supplies far too expensive!) to continue this hobby after our third child.  And besides, our youngest girl was able to wear her sisters' hand-me-downs!  Since that time I have turned to thrift stores for our girls' dresses.  Here are some techniques I use to stretch the usefulness of our dresses and keep expenses at a minimum:

* Buy used dresses that are classic in style and can be handed down later (inside or outside the family).  The Smocked Bishop style dresses (seen above) are my favorite, partly because I wore one in my first grade graduation ceremony in 1976!  They are still just as modest, beautiful, and in-style today as they were then! They also are very comfortable.

* Buy spring dresses. I purchase white cardigan "church sweaters" whenever I see them in a thrift store. A spring dress can be worn in the fall and winter ( at least in our climate!) with the addition of one of these white sweaters and a pair of warm tights. Spring dresses usually go nicely with black patten church shoes, which can also be worn for all seasons.

* Buy dresses one or two sizes too big.  Classic dresses usually have ties in the back or are loose in fit (as in the style above). The neck line area is the one place you need to check for appropriate fit. The photo of my daughter Spunky was taken three years ago when she was five years old. She was a size 4 is wearing a size 6 dress. She is now a size 8 and still wears the same dress. Another benefit of classic dresses is that they are long by design.  What a blessing when you have an active little girl!  They also usually come with a generous hem that can be let out if needed. ( We are on the short side and haven't had to let down many hems, but the addition of rick rack over the hem-line is very nice touch if you do need to add some length to a dress.)

* Pray with your children for God to lead you to dresses that honor Him and fit your budget.   We have always lived on a very modest single income. Our children have had to wait and make-do at times, but they have also been blessed to see God provide for our needs. With out fail God has provided beautiful dresses for my girls, either through hand-me-downs from like minded friends ( and in some cases stranger!) or through thrift stores. The dress pictured here was bought for under $4.00  from a charity thrift store. There have been times that I was almost embarrassed at the beautiful items God has sent our way.  Use these occasions to give God the glory and teach your children to do the same.

* Only buy what you need or anticipate needing in the future. We need to teach our girls the beauty of being content with a small wardrobe. If you see a lovely dress at a wonderful price, but you don't need it for your own family, consider buying the item for another family and blessing them.  It seems to get harder and harder to find modest, lovely, age appropriate clothing for girls...we should look out for one another in this area!  

One more note....

Although it is a topic for another day, we want our little girls to be pictures of beauty that honor God as he intended, not girls who are focused on what they look like. One practical consideration we have found helpful is to live without full length mirrors in our home.  A quick glance at the reflection in our china cabinet door, or an opinion from a sister or parent, gives us all the focus we need on our appearance. While instilling an appreciation for lovliness, we must be on guard against promoting and allowing vanity to take hold in our daughters' hearts. Pray for beautiful and affordable dresses for your young ones, and bless others with the dresses you no longer need, but don't let these outer garments draw your little ones into self-focused habits. Use God's provisions as an occasion for humble thankfulness and as a teaching tool that points their hearts toward their ever-loving Heavenly Father.

This post is linked at Raising Homemakers, Our Simple Country Life and Far Above Rubies. Check out these sites and enjoy seeing what other bloggers are writing about in the area of homemaking!

Tin Can Organization

We have lots of school  and craft supplies at our house. If we are not careful they end up all over the house. I think this means that I am blessed with creative, project minded kids...but I do get a little concerned when someone needs a pencil and the first place everyone looks for one is the floor! We have used a variety of "storage solutions" over the years, but my favorite is the standard (and free!) tin can. 

First, I make sure I am using a can with a pull-off lid so that there is no chance of someone being injured by a sharp edge on the can. (Progresso canned soups are a luxury saved for coupon-on sale combos, but the cans work great for this project!) Next, I use my computer to print out some simple labels, which I attach by covering with clear packing tape.  I think putting some colorful scrapbook paper behind the labels would be quite cute, if you have some on hand.  Last, I rally the children and we play the sorting game with all the craft supplies. I think the reason the cans work so well lies in the fact that they are portable.  If someone wants to work on a project on the porch or in their bedroom they can just take the appropriate cans with them. We have one place where the cans are stored ( an old wardrobe that is our school cabinet), so everyone knows where things need to be returned. Another idea would be to have a can for each child with their own supplies.Shorter cans work great for little things like paper clips, rubber bands and glue sticks.  Larger cans are good for things like rulers and math manipulatives.   

Of course, as in all of housekeeping, what is neatly ordered will become disordered over time.  My solution?Just turn the cans around in the cabinet so the labels don't show until the time comes when you can fix things up again :).  Some things just aren't worth getting huffy about! Besides, you still have a nice uniform look, much better than random supplies stuffed on shelves.  Organizing experts say that things always look neater if storage containers are the same style and shape, and I love that I can achieve this tidy look for free by using cans! 

The Table

From the archives...because it is so good to remember how God has provided! 

(March 2008)

This picture is as much about the table as it is about the room its self. First of all, I love the room. It has three huge windows which let in tons of light. And, if you have known me for very long at all, you know how much I adore archways. They make a room feel so cozy. I love the cabinet and the chance to display the family dishes that have been packed away or put on high shelves to keep them safe. I am also very thankful to finally have a room that is set apart especially for meal time and a space large enough to have people over for meals!

I was, however, wondering how we would have people over for meals since we had only a tiny farm table. The seven of us couldn't even fit around it! I had looked at some used tables, but large ones seemed too pricey, so I began been saving random birthday money and such for a large picnic table. I knew I could get a lot of folks around it and I was fairly sure I could make it look Cassie-like with a nice coat of stain or some white paint.

We got a call from Mr. T.'s boss shortly after moving and he said that his neighbor's daughter was moving and had a table she wanted to give away. I could hardly believe it! Not only because it was a free table (that easily seats 10!!) , but because this family had also just given us a nearly new TV they didn't need. (We have had a small 13 inch TV for over a decade... it didn't bother me a bit to have such a small TV , but I did feel a bit sorry for my guys when they would try to watch sports on it!). Mr. T.'s boss and his neighbor even brought over and unloaded this very wonderful, heavy solid wood table. The best part is that their faces were just beaming! They were so happy we could use it! I was  humbled. It was such a great reminder to me ( yes, once again!) that God knows exactly what we need and can provide for our needs and so much more...and that the things we don't need anymore can be a great blessing to someone else. With so much extended family in the area, and so many new people to get to know in our new town, we are looking forward with great expectation to see what kind of plans God has for our "table times" in the days and years ahead! And now, I am saving my random money for some curtains and more dining room chairs to go around this table!

*February 2011: What a blessing this table is... a meal table three times a day, a school table five days a week,location of countless family and birthday gatherings, the place where we serve guests in our home.  It is so easy to take it for granted, but I can't imagine our dining room with out it!  And what a reminder that the Lord knows our needs... large and small, physical and spiritual... and delights to meet them for our good and His glory!