I had one of those rare days today in which I was able to actually relax and enjoy the day while getting a lot of extras done. For me, when I’m able to just be a mommy and housewife without adding on other job titles, I get quite excited. Most of my schedules each day are changed due to unforseen circumstances. Therefore, a normal day is a great day in our home!

I awoke this morning only to find that all the little ones were still sleeping. What bliss! I was able to get my devotions and a shower done before they decided to wake up. I knew right then that this was going to be a great day! The kids were motivated to get their schooling done quickly so that they could go into town with their big sister for the afternoon. Guess what that means?!!! Free time for me while the older ones are gone and the little ones take naps!!! I have been yearning to get back into the habit of making our own homemade yogurt, so that was first on my to-do list. 5 hours later I had 2 1/2 quarts of beautiful, creamy yogurt. Since I had new-found energy, I tackled the sack of apples and made an apple pie. My 6 year old helped me and soon was enjoying making her own little pies with the left-over pieces of pie crust and apples. I remember how I used to do that with my mother when I was her age. Ah - what sweet, sweet memories! While the pie was in the oven, Joyanna helped me hang the clothes on the line. Yes - I’m one of these moms who love to save electricity by putting all the clothes I can on the line. They look so pretty flapping in the wind and they smell so good!

To top off the evening, my sweetheart took me out for the evening. We try to have a date night every 2 weeks, so I was really looking forward to spending time alone with him. Even though the evening was too short, it was still a blessing to have time alone to visit together. The Lord is bringing new adventures into our life, it appears - so having time to talk through all that was appreciated. Proverbs 3:5,6 kept going through my head as we discussed what the future holds. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” We are literally clinging to that verse at this time. In the near future, we’ll share our new adventures with you - but for now - please just keep praying for our family. It’s so easy to say “have faith”. It’s another thing to put that faith into action.

Well - that was my simple, but wonderful day! I’d love to hear from you moms to see what a normal day looks like for you! As moms we need to be able to encourage and pray for one another. Let me know how I can do that for you!

Becky, God’s Eternal Masterpiece

www.godseternalmasterpiece.com

As I child I learned the verse, Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus”.  Although I want to say we always live by that verse, I have to admit that many times I fail in fully trusting God to truly supply all we need.  This lesson in trust has been pounded in my head on a daily basis during the last few months.

Back in November, 2010, our geothermal unit quit working properly.  We’ve had problems with it for the past 6 years, but we’ve always managed to get it going again.  However, it became apparent that it was on its last leg.  In December, during our first big blizzard, the unit completely died, leaving us with a small back-up unit as our only heat source.  We immediately fired up our wood stove to heat up the living room area.  For the next 7 weeks, we had to work extra hard in keeping the house somewhat warm while we waited for a new geothermal unit to arrive.  Our church family loaned us several little “child-proof” heaters so that the kids could be warm in their bedrooms at night.  Another neighbor gave us wood for our woodstove since our wood pile was quickly diminishing. We did a lot of baking during those weeks so that the kitchen could stay warm!  Heat quickly became a luxury and we better could empathize with those who struggle to have heat during the cold winter months. 

While the Lord was obviously caring for us through the assistance of our church family, I still had a tendency to fret about how we’d come up with the finances to pay for the new furnace.  Sometimes I think God must just shake his head in dismay when He sees me showing such a lack of faith in His ability to provide.  Yet - God continues to show his utmost love and concern for us in spite of our doubts and fears.  Last week when our furnace was due to arrive, God once again showed us his great power.  At just the last minute, the last of the funds miraculously came in for the furnace.  Once again I had to humbly ask the Lord to forgive me for my lack of faith. 

The furnace was installed and I’d love to say that that’s the end of the story - but it’s not.  The day after we began enjoying the amazing warmth of 70 degree heat in the house, we were shocked to discover that we had very little water pressure.  It quickly became impossible to flush a toilet, wash hands, or take a shower.  The workmen came back out and worked on the furnace all day, only to discover that we either have a faulty piece on the new geothermal unit OR our 12 year old well is going bad.  We had a choice to make in the meantime.  Have heat (which will use up all the water) or have water and no heat.  Once again, it’s been easy for me to question God.  Yet, I know better.  God has never failed us nor forsaken us.  He has ALWAYS met our needs.  As I pondered upon this in church this morning, I quickly came to the realization that I am expending energy in worrying that could be used in a more profitable way - like serving and glorifying God.  I made the conscious decision to immediately turn the issue over to God as I Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your care upon Him for He careth for you”.  I was then freed up to focus on what God wanted to teach me through the scriptures being expounded.  What a feeling of relief!  By the way - when we were done with the service, I happened to open a card that was in our church mailbox.  In that card was a note of encouragement and a $50 bill!  God once again was showing us that He is still in the business of providing all of our needs. Are our problems completely solved yet?  No - but that’s OK because I have the best Provider in the world taking care of the problem! 

I don’t know what trials you are going through right now - but could I encourage you a bit?  Turn it fully over to the Lord and see what great and mighty things He has in store for you!  You may not get everything exactly like you want it, but God knows what is best for you and He has great blessings for you when you let Him show you with great and awesome power.  May you have the joy of the Lord today as you rest fully on Him!

Becky, God’s Eternal Masterpiece

www.godseternalmasterpiece.com

I have been amazed at the number of articles written lately about feeding a family of 4 for only $300.  We even have a book in our bookstore, Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half  With America’s Cheapest Family.   The book is chock full of great ideas for eating well for less money.  (Visit us at www.godseternalmasterpiece.com for more information about that book.)  Everyone is feeling the financial crunch and is anxious to save money. 

A few days ago I sat down and did some figuring with our own family budget.  To my surprise, I realized that we feed our family of 10 for an average of $400 (and many times less) per month.  For those of you who know me, I’m big on eating whole grains and making sure each family member gets a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day.  We also eat organic as much as possible.  Many people find it impossible to eat healthy on that budget, but it is very possible.  Does it take quite a bit of work?  Yes - but it is possible.  We haven’t gotten to where I’d like to be, health-wise, but I feel like we’ve made quite a few strides toward the right direction.  Some critics may think we’re starving ourselves after reading this, but that’s not the case.  (You’d know that’s not the fact if you saw us!)  Do we work at eating proper servings?  Yes.  We don’t believe our teens need to eat 4 times the required amount just because they are teens.  They learn to eat proper servings and are much happier because they don’t have to worry about being overweight, fight excessive acne, feel extra sluggish, and other conditions that are food-related. 

As a disclaimer, I fully realize that many people cannot do what we all do to save money.  Therefore, please understand that I do not judge those who must spend more on groceries.  However, I do heartily urge folks to re-consider what they truly can and cannot do.  I also understand that we live in the midwest, which is cheaper than big cities or the coasts when it comes to food costs.  Everyone’s situation truly is different.

Here’s some things we don’t do, which help us to save. 

1.  We don’t buy pop, kool-aid, or any other drinks which add on calories, sugar, and other junk.  Water is the preferred beverage for everyone in our home, even when we’re in restaurants or at social gatherings

2.  We rarely buy pre-packaged or processed foods.  It’s much healthier and much cheaper to cook from scratch.  I have found it cheaper to make my own pizzas, tortillas, lasagna, soups, etc. than buying the cheap stuff loaded with additives from the store.  It’s easier and much more filling to eat oatmeal with fruit for breakfast than it is to eat cold boxed cereal.  Our kids also like to eat homemade muffins with fruit smoothies, so that’s another alternative to the cereal route. 

3.  We rarely use the required amount of meat or cheese called for in recipes.  Most foods taste great with just half the amount called for.  We also don’t use the expensive cuts of meat or cheeses.  Steaks, pork chops, and other big cuts of meat rarely come in our home.  Even though we enjoy those things, they are not necessary to have.

4.  We don’t make or eat a lot of desserts or unhealthy snacks.  My family will attest that I love anything with sugar and chocolate, so I have to work hard at not allowing those on the counter too often.  Usually we keep those for occasions when we have guests or are celebrating.  It really is much more filling when our kids have a homemade granola bar, grapes, yogurt, or a handful of trail mix for a snack.

Here’s what we do to save money on groceries.

1.  We buy in bulk.  I buy my grains completely in bulk.  Once a year I purchase 200 pounds of wheat through my local food coop.  My brown rice, oatmeal, and other grains also come through the coop.  I mill our own flour and we make our own breads, bagels, rolls, pizza crusts, and other grain-based foods.  The only thing I don’t make is the pasta - mainly due to the time involved.  I buy that in bulk from Sam’s Club, the coop, or when a super deal shows up on whole grain pasta at the local grocery store. 

Whenever I see a great deal on a certain product, I use the money I’ve saved and budgeted for groceries, to buy a large amount.  For example, today butter was on sale for $1.44 at our local grocery store.  Normally it’s $2.99.  As you are probably imagining, I bought 10 pounds of it so that I can get through the winter baking without purchasing it again.  And yes - we do make good use of our freezers and extra refrigerator.  Yes, I know, those appliances do use electricity, which translates into money, but the cost is still much, much cheaper.  I buy a majority of our food items in bulk when it comes out to be much cheaper.  The challenge for me is making sure that I don’t buy more than we can use in a reasonable amount of time.  Sometimes it is easy to get too much.  When that happens, we give the extra away to those in need.

2.  We have a large garden.  God has been good in allowing us to have a garden.  I’ve discovered that many people can do container gardening or square foot gardening if they truly want to have fresh produce.  We have been blessed with a large plot of land, so we enjoy spreading ours out, although I sometimes question if that’s wise since it takes more time to weed gardens when they are spread out.  I plant as many dark and antioxidant-rich foods as possible.  This year we were finally able to enjoy the blueberries, cherries, raspberries, and blackberries in abundance which we had planted 3 years ago.  The kids love to each choose a section of the garden as “theirs”.  They get to choose the seeds, but are then required to tend it as well.  This year we were blessed with bok choy, pak choi, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, onion, squash, pumpkin, grapes, tomatoes, multi-colored peppers, beans, herbs, cabbage, bitter melon, and much more.  While we froze much of it, some of it was canned into various soups, sauces, jams, syrups, and juices for the winter.  We also made our own homemade applesauce, pie fillings, pears, peaches, etc. by buying fruit in bulk from locals who had plenty of produce they were willing to part with at lower prices.  Sometimes God blessed us by just giving us cases of produce free from friends and neighbors.

3.  We make foods from cheaper cuts of meat or use beans for main dishes.  When roasting a chicken, I’ve quickly discovered that you can feed a 1/2 large chicken at one meal with rice (or potatoes) and veggies.  The other 1/2 is cut up and used in the next day’s casserole.  Many times, it stretches into two days of casseroles.  One pound of ground beef can easily be stretched when making casseroles.  If I’m making meatloaf, I can add quite a bit of oatmeal or mashed beans in to a 1/2 pound of ground beef.  The kids have yet to realize that it’s not pure meat.  Even our guests have commented that it’s one of the best meatloaves (or meatballs) they’ve ever had.   Many times, we have beans every other day.  Beans are cheap, full of fiber, and high in protein.  It’s now common to have beans and rice tortillas or black bean soups instead of using meat in them.

4.  We eat simply.  A majority of our recipes use only a handful of ingredients.  We’ve discovered that vegies are great simply steamed or sauteed with some herbs, spices, or soy sauce.  Expensive ingredients or additional ingredients such as your fancier cheeses, nuts, and pre-packaged ingredients are simply cut out of the recipe.  Some meat, raw veggies, and mustard in a whole wheat tortilla makes a great and filling lunch.  Throw tomato juice, beans, rice, and veggies in a pot and you’ve got almost-instant soup!  Baby carrots, apple slices, or grapes work great instead of a side dish or potato chips.  Salads are an instant meal in themselves.  I could go on and on about we eat quickly and easily.  However, I’ll save you the agony!     

4.  I look for the bargains and use coupons whenever possible.  Many people just laugh at me, but I love finding a good bargain.  It’s like a treasure hunt just waiting to happen!  Whenever, I go grocery shopping, I don’t whiz in and whiz out of there.  Usually I’m there for a good hour or more.  (That’s why I only do it once every two weeks!)  I have discovered that most stores have clearance items somewhere on those shelves.  Many times they are in the early part of the week or late at night.  (Guess when I like to do my shopping?!!)  I love to compare prices in the ads, hunt for the bargain deals in the stores, and then add coupons on top of the bargains.  Double coupons are even more fun.  Target is one of my favorite stores because they give lots of store coupons.  I use those with manufacturer coupons when they have certain items on sale.  Quite often, I pay just pennies for products that should’ve cost dollars otherwise.  My goal is to save at least 50% on each item I buy.  Many times, it’s more like 75%.  When I do find good deals, I stock up.  I’ve also discovered great deals at farmer’s markets.  Many times folks will sell you larger amounts at cheaper prices if you just ask.  Bakery outlets are another great place to buy foods cheaper.  (However, make sure you know your figures before going in there since not everything is cheaper.)  When I have a social event suddenly come up and I don’t have enough buns in my freezer, I’ve found it pretty easy to buy several dozen buns for less than $2.  I also have found our store, Aldis, to be very economical when I need something in a hurry.  As you’ve probably guessed, I’m not afraid to use day-old food or slightly damaged produce, since no food out there is just one day old or perfect anyway  (unless it comes from your garden!).  I’m pretty big on making sure it isn’t rotting or nutritionally compromised, however,  There is a limit to what is acceptable to eat.   

Well, I must end this for now, but we’ll try to write more on this subject another time in the future.  I’d love to hear what you do to save money on your groceries.  Send me your ideas and I’ll try to post them as a way of helping others on their economic journey!  May the Lord richly bless you as you use His resources wisely!

Becky, God’s Eternal Masterpiece

www.godseternalmasterpiece.com

Life has been hectic around here, so I apologize for not keeping up with the blogs on parenting!  Now that school is out, homeschool conferences are winding down, and the garden is planted, maybe I can be more consistent with my writing!  I’ve had quite a few people ask us how we survive on a limited income with a large family.  As I wrote in March, you learn very quickly to rely fully on God.  However, there are a few other secrets that we’ve learned over the years. 

As many of you have probably figured out by now, it is important to live within the boundaries God has placed you in financially.  We have had to learn this the hard way, but are so glad that God is patient with us.  It is vitally important that we buy on a cash basis and not on a credit card basis.  With a cash (or debit card), once the money is gone, it’s gone.  In the past, we’ve sadly learned that we buy much more when we pull out that lovely little plastic credit card.  We then get into a vicious cycle of not having the money to buy the necessities because we are having to pay off those dreaded credit cards.  Even though it’s sometimes painful to use a cash system, it’s so much more peaceful in the long run.  It’s also important to have a budget to go along side of your cash system.  It’s too easy to spend the money on extras if the bills and monthly allowances aren’t written out in black and white before my eyes.  When I know I only have a certain amount to spend on groceries, I’m much less likely to grab those processed foods, snack items, etc.  Instead I head for the cheaper meats, beans, bulk grains, etc. so that I can stretch out those dollars.  I learned very quickly in life that it is now necessary to get the brand names on groceries, clothing, and cleaners.  Generic brands work just fine.  Many items such as cleaners, for example, can be made at home and are much healthier for you anyway.   I’m also much more likely to take the time to cut out and use coupons, browse the paper for sales, and shop at thrift stores when I know that the money has to be stretched to the max. 

By the way, thrift stores are our favorite shopping centers.  We RARELY buy clothes or household items in a regular store.  I can find almost everything we need at garage sales or thrift stores for a fraction of the price of a new item.  Most of the gifts we get for the children for Christmas are also gotten at garage sales or thrift stores.  I start shopping the day after Christmas and I keep at it until the next Christmas, so the children have learned to give me those wish lists early.  God is so amazing in allowing us to find our children’s “desires” in this way.  And yes, they are almost always brand new still in the packaging.  I still remember how excited I was when I found the exact Lego set my older son wanted at Goodwill.  It was valued at $150.  I got it brand new, still packaged, for $5.  That’s only one of the amazing examples of answered prayer and careful shopping!  When we don’t find what we’re looking for, we take it for granted that God didn’t deem it as a necessity.  Amazingly enough, we seem to do just fine without it!

I encourage you to try living without those credit cards and other means of borrowing.  Instead, aim at living with what God has given you.  You’ll be so glad you did!  By the way, God’s Eternal Masterpiece has several excellent books by Dave Ramsey and Larry Burkett which can aid you in your financial endeavors.  Just click on the financial responsibility link on the left sidebar at www.godseternalmasterpiece.com.

As the economy is worsening, I can’t help but think about all of God’s blessings poured out on us throughout the years.  No, they have not been millions of dollars.  They’ve been in the form of godly kids, peace in the home, joy throughout the hardships, food on the table, clothing on our backs, etc. 

Matthew 6:25 says, “Therefore, I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; or yet for your body, what ye shall put on.  Is not the life more than food and the body than rainment?” This passage goes on to talk about how God cares for even the birds and flowers of the field.  Won’t He care for us even more? 

God has seen fit to reinforce this lesson to me many times throughout my life.  I’ll never forget the 3 years when I was in Jr. High/High School. My dad was without a pastorate for those 3 years and had no regular income coming in.  God supplied for our family of 6 in amazing ways by giving Dad odd jobs.  We’d go to church and find boxes of food sitting on the coat rack with our name on it.  Anonymous money was passed on to us - and the list goes on.  My youth leader bought me my very own Scofield Bible (which I still use today) and my Sunday School teacher took me to the mall in Des Moines to buy me my very own brand new dress outfit.  Those memories are etched in my mind forever.  Was the food always what we wished we had?  No!  We had lots of tube biscuits, bacon bits, a little wild game (which is not my favorite!), and canned foods.  However, did it fill us and keep us from getting hungry?  Most definitely!

God again reinforced the lesson of relying on God for our needs when my husband was in an elevator accident in 2001.  Because his back was fractured, his right foot was crushed, and his wrist was busted, Jesse could not work for almost 3 years.  We had five children during those 3 years and had a mortgage and all the other normal bills to pay.  God showed us on a daily basis His unending care and love for us.  I can’t even begin to tell you how many times we’d go to the mailbox and find an anonymous money order or cash in the mailbox.  Our utility bill would be paid, someone would call and say they had a pig or half-beef for us, someone would drop off clothes for the kids, a gas card would be passed on to us, etc.  God was so good!  I’ll never forget the day I ran out of laundry detergent.  Because our little boy was suffering from a skin disorder, the doctor had recommended we use Dreft or another skin-sensitive detergent.  I had just laughed and told him that it wouldn’t be possible to do that because those detergents cost a small fortune.  Ah - me of little faith!  My children prayed for the detergent while I half-heartedly did.  That very afternoon, I got a call from a man in our church who owned a trucking company.  He said that he had a truck that had a pallet of Dreft detergent in it that got damaged.  Could I use a bunch of Dreft?  The next hour was spent on my knees crying before the Lord asking him to forgive me of my lack of faith in his care.  For the next 18 months, our family’s clothes smelled like a baby’s as we used all that detergent. 

I also remember the time I was so hungry for fresh fruits and vegetables.  That afternoon we got a phone call from someone who had a lot of extra potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and varied fruits.  Could we use some?!!!  They brought over enough to last us through the winter months.  Do we have a God who cares for even our smallest desires?  You bet!!

As this year continues, it is vitally important that we remember that God will take care of us even during the tough economic times.  We may have to do without those special vacations, foods, up-to-date clothes, etc.  However, we can be reassured that God is right there with us each step of the way.  He does care for us and He will give us what we need.  When the going got rough for us, I’d turn to 2 things - my Bible and my journal.  God’s Word was a constant source of encouragement as I poured over His promises to us.  I also kept a written record of all the blessings God bestowed on us during the times of hardship in our lives.  Now I can look back at that whenever I’m discouraged to help me in recalling God’s showers of blessings on our family.  Our children can also read it and be reminded of God’s provisions.   Proverbs 3:5,6 reminds us “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In ALL thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths”.  May I encourage you to keep your eyes focused on the Lord and let Him show you His love during these times of hardship.  God has great lessons planned for you and you can one day look back and say with confidence, “God is SO GOOD”!

We have various financial guides and devotionals available to guide you through the tough time in your life.  They are available at www.godseternalmasterpiece.com. 

Becky, God’s Eternal Masterpiece