…living, learning, and loving it!
Sep 2nd, 2010 by Vanessa
This is a great easy recipe that is always a crowd pleaser!
1/4 cup water
1 can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper, to taste
1 t. brown sugar
16 oz elbow or rotini whole wheat pasta
15-20 oz ketchup, to taste
Brown the beef. Add water and tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer. Add to the cooked pasta. Add ketchup to taste.
Aug 31st, 2010 by Vanessa
“There are two things that pierce the human heart: beauty and pain.” Simon Weil
Aug 31st, 2010 by Vanessa
Another video choice that my students make when they earn a free activity choice is to watch an animated version of a favorite story. Some of our favorites include:
Look up a favorite of your books and see if there is an animated version to enjoy 
Aug 26th, 2010 by Vanessa
This is my laundry dream team!
We are currently using the Kirkland brand environmentally friendly laundry detergent from Costco. This detergent is made from biodegradable cleaning agents, made from all plant based cleaning agents (no icky stuff!), contains no phosphates or dyes, and has a light lavender scent that is completely natural. It cost 13.99 for an advertised 110 loads of laundry; this breaks down to $.127 per load. Because we have a high efficiency washer and we don’t get our clothes super dirty I usually use 1/3 – 1/2 less detergent than called for which ends up costing us $.09 or less per load. Next time we need laundry detergent we will be purchasing Ecos instead; it is also just as fantastically natural as the Kirkland. It costs 13.39 for an advertised 210 loads which is $.06 per load. Imagine if I cut the amount of detergent that I use even further – wow!
The only problem that I have with laundry detergent from Costco is the big packages that it comes in. To solve that problem I saved a few of the last All Small and Mighty bottles that I used and pour the Costco detergent into those smaller and easier to manage bottles. That just makes things simpler.
I refuse to use commercial fabric softener – it’s expensive! And it’s not very natural or healthy for our bodies. I have been using dryer balls that we purchased with gift cards from our wedding. They work very well in the dryer but we still had some issues with static cling. Not any more! I put about a tablespoon of vinegar in the softener compartment of my washer before washing loads that typically produce static and have had no problems with – even when I washed our sheets! When I first mentioned this idea to Cole his response echoed my thoughts “If my clothes smell like vinegar when they are done we are not using vinegar” – and they don’t! I promise! You can purchase 1.32 gallons of vinegar for $2.99 at Costco. And like with the laundry detergent, I divide that vinegar into smaller containers: old vinegar bottles and my spray bottles for cleaning.
The last member of my dream team is Hydrogen Peroxide. A combination of half hydrogen peroxide-half water can replace that nasty bottle of bleach from the store. Note: this is a good bleach for whites not for colors (colors may become MUCH lighter after a washing with hydrogen peroxide). I use a few tablespoons of this bleach in my white loads and it works wonderfully! My hubby runs in white t-shirts, I walk around in the garden in my white athletic socks (silly, but I always seem to do it!), and white undergarments show the stress of sweat quite easily. Those dirty icky little stains come right out when washed with this great combination! Walgreens will often have three sixteen ounce bottles on sale for $.99. Costco sells 64 ounces for $2.09. I empty half of a peroxide bottle into a spray bottle for house cleaning and then fill it the rest of the way with water for use in the wash.
The beautiful thing about green-ing our laundry routine is that it takes no more work now than it did before. And boy, do we reap the benefits! We are paying significantly less for healthier and cleaner clothes!
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Since writing this post, we have just finished our Kirkland brand laundry detergent and are now using Ecos brand. It is amazing as well! And super cheap naturally clean and yummy smelling laundry is awesome!
Aug 25th, 2010 by Vanessa
And her lamp does not go out at night.
Proverbs 31:18b
I have heard this passage referred to in contempt; if this woman works all day AND all night, when does she have time for sleep? when is her body physically renewed? when do she and her husband share intimacies?
Yet, that is not the message that I see in this verse.
The Proverbs 31 woman is not possessive of her time. Not even the night time hours. She realizes that all of the time she has been given in a blessing to her which she is to use to bless others.
This virtuous woman did make use of the evening hours to be productive in her home. Perhaps this was time spent in family worship. Or cuddling with her husband discussing the events of the day and their dreams for the future. This may have been a time for her to serve her hard-working husband a home cooked meal. This may have been a time when she sat down and made a plan for and prayed over the next day’s activities. Maybe family and friends came to the house and she and her husband spent time with dear friends in good discussion. These are productive uses of evening hours, things for which a lamp would be needed after the sun went down.
Yes, this woman, like me, needs sleep every night to keep her body healthy and strong. It is unwise to think that this woman literally worked all night. It is said that her body is strong in this passage. This implies that she works hard, eats well, and sleeps. Nighttime sleep is essential if we are to be healthy and fully energized for the work that God has called us to. We must rest and we must sleep.
However, we must not be selfish with our time. Many Americans seem to hold sleep and relaxation as something more important than it deserves. We know that we need time to rest and relax. To get “away from it all” to have a little “R & R” and some “me time.” But have we become obsessed with, fiercely protective of, and overly pre-occupied with our need for rest and sleep? Have I?
We are called to be servants to those around us. Are we willing to go on less hours of sleep than we desire to serve those around us? By having her lamp lit at night, the Proverbs 31 woman was prepared to serve others, even if those needs arose after dark or in the middle of the night. Am I willing to be called on in the middle of the night to watch the children of a friend who has gone into labor? Am I willing to stay up later than usual to listen to or talk with a friend or a family member? If I lose sleep due to spending time loving and serving people, am I grumpy and upset the next day for what I was asked to give up?
I believe that a wise and virtuous woman will make every effort to get a decent night’s sleep to keep her healthy and strong for her work. However, she is also careful not to be selfish about the time that she has been blessed with and is willing to serve and love on others whenever she is presented the opportunity, day or night.
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Proverbs 31:10-31 is a very convicting passage for me as a wife and homemaker. I pray that as you read these posts, you know that I am speaking just as much to myself as I am to any of my readers. May we all be challenged to pursue godly womanhood to an even deeper level that we may see God move in powerful ways!
