I kind of wish I had some rain boots but, sadly, those are not on the list.

We are one week into our Year Without Buying! This first week has been easy, although there is a beautiful wool hat, left unpurchased, that I lamented for the first couple of days. But I'm over it... I'm getting over it. The boys have, for the most part, stopped their chatter about the toys they plan to buy when the ban has been lifted. I’m thankful for the support and encouragement we have received. Some of you have asked us for details of our plan, which I promised to share, so here you go:

We aren’t living in squalor. We’ll purchase what is necessary to keep up our selves and our house, but nothing superfluous.

We will, of course, cover the basic needs of the family. The kids will not be going to school in rags. They have an insane amount of clothing as it is. On Friday, I pulled forty tee shirts from their closets. Forty. Tee shirts. And they still have plenty left to wear. This is a perfect example of the excess that I want to get out from under. Who needs that many shirts?!

No one.

When their shoes fall apart, which they inevitably will, we’ll figure something out. We’ll barter, hit garage sales or resale shops, or maybe hint around for grandparent intervention. I don’t know.

What I do know is that we serve a God who provides, and that whatever it is that we need, trusting Him, we shall have it.

So, without further adieu, here is a brief list of planned exceptions to our non-buying year.

Food. Of course.

Hygiene items. Because we’re on a mission to cut back on spending, not friends.

Cleaning products. See above. I'd like to add that I am looking into making some of our household cleaners instead of buying them. I already make our laundry detergent, so I’m sure that I could do more. Do you have a home-made cleaner that you use? Post your recipe in the comments!

Landscaping materials. Like plants and mulch and two-by-fours for garden boxes. No birdbaths, wind chimes, or garden gnomes.

Raw materials for homespun projects, as needed. Now, I know that this is a big loop-hole, but I’m determined not to get out of hand. Here’s the deal: We’ll be making gifts for Christmas and other occasions. While we have a LOT of various craftish supplies on hand, I’m sure that there will be little things that we run out of over the course of the year. And I am not about to deny my kids (or myself!) the joy of making a gift for someone because we ran out of paste.

I think that should do it! And, even thought I won’t be going out to buy any, if someone were to anonymously drop off a pair of size nine ladies rain boots, I would very humbly accept them. Just kidding.

Sort of.

Chopping the Lawn

I was outside with the dogs when it started to rain, and I thought of my husband. He and I both love this kind of weather: cool temperatures, overcast skies, and falling rain. The perfect compliment to this weather?

A fire in the fireplace.

Which brings up a bit of a need. It’s only kind of a need, since the fire is just for enjoyment and not for survival. But if we’re going to have a fire, someone is going to have to chop the wood. Preferably before the wood gets soaked by the rain. Andy always chops the wood. It’s just one of those “man things” that he does, and I believe enjoys doing. But I don’t want him to have come home, after working all day, just to go out and chop firewood in the rain. So that leaves it to me.

Let me just say that I’m a bit leery of dangerous-ish physical activities. I have a life… I can’t afford to hurt myself doing something stupid.

But if we’re going to have a fire…

At first I swung tentatively, striking with my eyes closed, lodging the axe somewhere along the middle. Not really splitting the logs, but just nagging them into pieces. Then I got a little more comfortable and swung harder, burying the blade of the axe in my lawn more than a couple of times. Chopping the lawn isn’t as much due to brute strength as it is timidly swinging with my eyes closed. Make note of that. It’s profound.

At some point, I became brave enough to keep my eyes open without imagining a massive shank of wood rendering me blind. And that is when it all came together and I really found joy in the work.

I love the crisp sound of a log splitting with just one swing, the satisfying ease of movement. What a sensation! Every muscle working in tandem to swing hard and hit my target, hearing, feeling, and seeing the wood split.

I’m sure this all seems girly and dumb to you if you’re outdoorsy. Or even if you’re not. Sorry. I’ll make my point now.

As I was working, I realized that this is a great picture of our approach to life. When we are fully engaged in what is going on, the experience is so much better. Timidly chopping wood is lame. With my eyes closed, I often missed the mark. It took longer, it wasn't very satisfying, and it was actually much more difficult. I think the same is true with nearly everything. Think about your work. Even just your drive to work, or anywhere else you may go. Think about parenting your children. Loving your spouse. How much collateral damage is caused by holding something back?

My life is better when I put my whole self in it; when I open my eyes and stop haphazardly chopping the lawn.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23-24

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7

Our Year Without Buying

It has officially begun: An entire year without buying new stuff. I am so excited!

I know I had heard about it somewhere before, but serious consideration began when I read a magazine article last October. Since that time, Andy and I have been talking about it, planning when to begin, negotiating any exceptions to be allowed. (I’ll talk about our exceptions another day.) As we have discussed this endeavor, I have felt God’s increasing urge to commit. I am thrilled that the day is finally here!

I recently found something called The Compact Movement, which you can join online, but I feel like that is a little extreme – at least for us. The Compact appears to be based on environmentalism, stewardship of our planet. But our plan has really blossomed out of stewardship of our personal resources, and the responsibility of teaching stewardship to our children. We are simply challenging ourselves to live a bit more efficiently. I suppose environmentalism is a big part of that, but since we already recycle and compost(as mentioned here), I don’t see that as part of our year-long challenge. Mainly, I want this year to help my family have a lighter attachment to money and especially the things that money can buy.

Maybe this is a little more selfish, because we are doing it for the betterment of our household. But how can we change the world if we don’t first change ourselves?

Right now, the kids don’t get it. They’re seven and nine, and think about toys constantly. When we first told them about our Year Without Buying, they booed. But, quickly understanding that they didn’t have a say, they have started looking toward the positive, which to them means saving money for later spending. (What else?) Yesterday over breakfast they calculated how much money they will accrue if they save their allowance for the year, and listed all the stuff they could buy when the year is through. It’s okay. We’ll let them talk about spending. I think they’ll get tired of the subject and drop it. That’s one of my main goals in this whole concept anyway: That the boys will get bored with the consumer mindset and just let it go. We’ll just have to see how long it takes.

So, for the record, here are the benefits that I anticipate:
Saving money,
Greater appreciation for what we have,
Less trash output (No packaging from new stuff!),
Less greed oozing from my children,
and definitely
Less stuff cluttering our house!

As with all things prompted by God, I know that my expectations are just the tip of the iceberg. I trust that He will guide us through this experience, and believe that the blessings will be far beyond my imagination.

I’m sure that I will have plenty to share about this journey and, whether you think we are ingenious or insane, I’d love your comments as we go along.

Well… here we go!

Sweets!

For the past couple of weeks, our church has been participating in a Daniel fast, eating whole foods. Since standing in the pantry and downing a mouthful of honey straight from the jar is uncouth in some circles, I figured I should come up with more appropriate ways to get my fix. Because I am a girl who just can’t go a day without eating something sweet. Our time of fasting is almost at its end, but I thought I might still post a few of the sweet fast-friendly recipes that we have enjoyed along the way.

Apple Pie Oatmeal
½ cup oatmeal
1 cup water
½ Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
cinnamon
1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
¼ vanilla soy milk

Mix your oats, water, diced apple, and cinnamon to taste. Cook as directed on your oatmeal package. Stir in maple syrup and vanilla soy milk. It tastes like apple pie!

Crackers Posing as Waffles
Break up Triscuit crackers and drizzle with warmed pure maple syrup. Delicious! (This little treasure was passed along to us by Pastor Scott Wilson, of FC Miami.)

Kettle Corn
For years we have had a hot-air popcorn popper, which I’m sorry to say sat unused in a cabinet until this fast. Pop the kernels, spray with canola oil, sprinkle with salt and natural sweetener. (We are using truvia.)

Chocolate Soy Milk
That’s all there is to say about that.

Sweet & Sour Sauce
½ cup water
4 tsp soy sauce
½ cup white vinegar
½ cup pineapple juice
4 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup honey

Combine water, soy sauce, white vinegar and pineapple juice in a small saucepan. Stir in honey and cornstarch until evenly mixed. Bring to a boil.

Simmer gently on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, remove from heat.

Serve immediately and refrigerate leftovers. Sauce will thicken to a gel when cold.

This is great on vegetables with whole grain brown rice! The recipe makes quite a lot… we had enough for two meals with plenty left over.



So, friends… What have you been eating?

A Year of Less and, Consequentially, More

Each year, for quite a few in a row, God has blessed my life more and more. I am married to the best husband I know. I have two handsome, healthy little boys, and a lovely home in which to raise them. We go to the greatest church around, full of cherished leaders and friends. We have sweet pets, a wonderful school, and a neighborhood brimming with children as icing on the cake.

We are starting this year out with much, and I hope to finish it with much less. And by this, I know we will gain much more. This may sound like nonsense. I’ll elaborate.

My Pastor talks about the need to “say NO to the good, so you can say YES to the best." We have an abundance of good going on around here, but there’s just so much of it that it’s crowding out the best. So here are a few of my specific goals, to have less and more:

I’m going to be more diligent with the recycling, so my family can put out even less trash.

I’m going to have less caffeine, so I can have more sleep.

I’m going to have less responsibility in the roles I choose at the boys’ school, so I can have more fun with the students!

We’re going to have fewer toys, so there is more appreciation for what we have.

I’m going to have less in my closet, so there is more room to see what’s in there. (And more empty hangers at the ready on laundry days!)

The kids are going to have more responsibilities around the house, so I can feel less like a maid.

And we’re going to do a lot less buying, for several reasons, which I expect to bring about a multitude of blessings. I’ll write more about that another day.


Happy New Year! I hope you enjoy both less and more.

We were having eggs.

One morning this summer, the boys and I were having breakfast and talking about eternity. Jackson had asked Christ into his heart at church camp in 2007, so he and I were doing much of the talking. Parker was mostly silent, but I could tell that he was deeply listening and weighing our words. J and I talked about what it is to be a Christian, and I explained how it is that a person would go about becoming a Christian, all while P thoughtfully picked at his eggs. Then P looked up and said, “I haven’t decided that yet.” And the way he said it, I thought that it might be a long time before he would.

Fast forward to bedtime last night. With a heavy heart, I told Parker that one of the teachers from his school, Kathy Albert, had passed away. We know that Mrs. Albert was a Christian. I reminded him that she had been very sick for a long time. Her body could not get better. God wanted Mrs. Albert to come to heaven. So, she did.

Thus began a discussion of heaven and hell. Parker told me about someone he knows who doesn’t choose the best behavior, and told me that he thinks this person is going to hell.

“Whether you go to heaven or hell is not decided by how many good behavior days you have at school,” I said.

“I know,” he said, and left the proverbial door wide open.

“Thank goodness for that, right? Because every person on earth messes up and sins. Every person EVER, except for one. Do you know which one?”

“Jesus,” he nods. Hooray! Children’s Church is working. Good job, guys.

“That’s right. Jesus lived a perfect life, without any sin at all. And sin is not just bad behavior. Our words and even thoughts can be sinful. We all sin. But Jesus didn’t have any sin at all. He lived completely without sin so that he could be the sacrifice for our sin. God knows that we can’t pay the price for our sin, so Jesus paid it for us. And because He paid our price, and rose from the dead and went to heaven, we can go to heaven too! Anyone who believes this can go to heaven.”

“Well, I believe that,” he shrugs.

“You do? That’s awesome, buddy! Have you prayed to tell God that you believe it?”

“Yeah, I did that a long time ago when I was six or something,” says Mr. Nonchalant. “At breakfast. We were having eggs. I prayed in my head and just didn’t tell you.”

And I knew the very breakfast he was talking about. It was this summer.

I’m glad that Parker finally revealed to us his decision to follow Christ. Now we can rejoice, along with all the angels of heaven and Mrs. Albert and all the others who have gone before us.

“…there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15:10

Hallelujah!

It's just easier to SHOW you.

I have so many words buzzing around in my brain right now. So many, in fact, that I can’t form a coherent post to describe what I’ve been doing lately. Instead of lengthy descriptions, I shall give you pictures with captions. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'm sure you'll be quite glad that I went with pictures.



This is what our hallway bathroom looked like a week ago. I forgot to take a picture before we took the big mirror down, but you get the idea. Notice the mauve stripes and frilly border. For once I am thankful that my boys are colorblind. They had no idea that they should have been embarrassed by this feminine wallpaper.



And this is what it looks like now! This is the best project that Andy and I have worked on together. Well, other than our children. But we’ll have to wait a while to see how they turn out.



This family tree originated in my mind several years ago, even before we had our own home, inspired by Owl’s house in Winnie the Pooh. We come from a long line of good-looking individuals! No wonder my little boys are so handsome.



Our tree went up a bit early this year. We had so much going on during the Thanksgiving holiday that I wanted to have this done ahead of time. Truly, the tree and the holiday music seemed a bit out of place until I watched the snow fall this morning. Now it all feels just right.



And this is my favorite little project of all. My Liberty Belle and her ten beautiful puppies! I’ve been planning, preparing, and praying for them for months now. I’m so glad they are finally here!



Somewhere in the midst of all of this, my little oak turned bright red. I love it!

So that’s my last three weeks in a nutshell. I hope you had a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving!