One thing I really admire about the women I've met at Mars Hill is that so many of them seem to be these amazing domestic whirlwinds of skill, discipline, and drive. I don't think I've ever walked into any of your homes and thought, "Oh man, what happened here?"
This has, however, lead me down some unhealthy roads of thought. In my head, you, my friend, keep your house organized and spotless all the time. If you have a slob for a husband, you catch his dirty clothes on their way to the floor and they are actually laundered and folded instantly in your hand. If you have a child, after s/he makes a mess, s/he disappears for a few minutes while you clean up the mess and that's why you are have the discipline to get it done right then.
I've been convicted about my discipline lately. Our house is not yet unpacked and gets messy in a heartbeat. I HATE being in cluttered rooms and can't relax when I am in them but I have NO natural instincts that help me keep things picked up. I grew up putting things down next to me when I was done with them, and I would pick them up when I realized that the entire room was a mess. Then, it took me a while to notice and care about the mess. Now, the mess drives me crazy, but I am still the person with empty muffin cups in 3 rooms of her house. I was so excited to have a new coat closet in our new house, but I still throw my coat on a chair half the time. I acutally have to walk farther into my house to do this.
I also have a tendency to pick up and organize every room in my house before I devote too much time to cleaning. This is why I have not vaccuumed our house or cleaned our bathroom in an embarrassing amount of time. So embarrassing, that I am not going to tell you how long.
I recently listened to a sermon about discipline from Mosaic Church. The speaker said something about how discipline is something you usually do alone and it's not usually fun. I've been using the excuse for not waking up early that if Dexter doesn't wake up early it's too hard for me. But, that's a really bad excuse, and I know that the real reason is my own laziness and lack of will power. The fact that Dexter isn't much of an exerciser is also one of my excuses for not exercising. I mean, I don't want to get too fit and fabulous and make him feel bad, right? I kind of think that if I can become disciplined in the areas of waking up and exercising, I can conquer most of the areas in my life because I hate these two so much. However, I think keeping my house in order will be a battle all its own.
I know that some of you (or maybe just one of you) enjoy cleaning your home, and maybe a few more of you are good at it despite not enjoying it. What suggestions do you have for a developing habits that will help me not be a lazy slob? (You may think this language is too harsh toward myself, but really, I can see my house right now and I know that I took a nap on accident during time I set aside to clean today.) I've told myself that not all of you are naturally good and perfect picker-uppers, organizers, and cleaners, otherwise I'd feel extra bad about myself. Have you been transformed by the renewing of your mind in the area of cleaning? Or are you a pillar of will power and cleaning acumen? Either way, if you have tips about keeping your house clutter-free or building your personal discipline, please share!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tight Budgeting
We've been living on a tight budget ever since we got married, trying to keep our student loans to a minimum. I thought I was living in the proverbial real world while we were in school, but I realize now that the financial real world doesn't really begin until you've been contacted (before you have a real job) by the collectors and informed how much your monthly payments will be and when they're due. And at this point, nobody wants to give you a loan just because you live in a college town. (Not that I'm thinking, "Debt is so cool. I want some more.")
So, I've been contemplating different ideas to help us stay in our budget. Here's what I have so far.
1. Eat leftovers, even if it wasn't a good meal the first time and you want to forget you made it. Just eat it. It won't kill you. Eat it now before there is mold.
2. Look at grocery store ads before planning weekly meals. Then, check your pantry and fridge and ask yourself questions in the following pattern: Do you already have 8 cans of black beans that you bought for $.49/can? Do you need 8 more? Do you already have carrots in your crisper? Do you need to use them up before they get all bendy and creepy? Should you just make carrots instead of buying the fancy sale vegetable?
3. Work a lot at a job where you get paid. I plan to start doing this eventually. I'll let you know what it does to the books.
4. Rent movies from the library. Take them back on time. (This applies to books too.)
5. Don't pay your iWireless bill late, unless you have $7.50 extra. Even if you have $7.50 extra, don't give it to them. Pay off loans or buy some chocolate.
6. Don't go to places where things are sold. Particularly, don't go to places with big "clearance" signs, because you will get sucked in. If you do have to go to one of these selling stations, decide what you need before you go in. Do not look around at the other fare for sell. Get in and get out. You do not need that roasting pan on "after-Thanksgiving" clearance. You don't eat meat OR host Thanksgiving. You do not need those ugly throw pillows so you can spend more money on fabric to re-cover them, particularly when you already have a sufficient number of throw pillows. (Opinions about sufficiency may vary. I generally think I need more when I find a clearance throw pillow for less than $10.)
7. Don't buy alcohol.
8. Don't wait till the end of the month/pay period to see how much money you've spent. It's not a game where you try to match the number goal. It's money and you will be out of it if you're not careful, young lady.
9. Balance your check book. (Another option is to talk to your kids sternly about balancing their checkbooks, because they will assume you're doing this because it's something you do. You should try to avoid them seeing you catching up on balancing your check book for October when it is May.)
10. Live in a place where you don't like a lot of restaurants, because then you're not as sad when you make the "big girl" choice to stay at home. If possible, like to cook and have a dishwasher.
11. Don't pay $3/week for the newspaper because you want $2 in coupons that you will probably forget to use.
12. Budget a little money for doing fun things. Otherwise, you won't get to hang out with your friends, and then you might get sad and then shop online.
What are your best money-saving tips?
So, I've been contemplating different ideas to help us stay in our budget. Here's what I have so far.
1. Eat leftovers, even if it wasn't a good meal the first time and you want to forget you made it. Just eat it. It won't kill you. Eat it now before there is mold.
2. Look at grocery store ads before planning weekly meals. Then, check your pantry and fridge and ask yourself questions in the following pattern: Do you already have 8 cans of black beans that you bought for $.49/can? Do you need 8 more? Do you already have carrots in your crisper? Do you need to use them up before they get all bendy and creepy? Should you just make carrots instead of buying the fancy sale vegetable?
3. Work a lot at a job where you get paid. I plan to start doing this eventually. I'll let you know what it does to the books.
4. Rent movies from the library. Take them back on time. (This applies to books too.)
5. Don't pay your iWireless bill late, unless you have $7.50 extra. Even if you have $7.50 extra, don't give it to them. Pay off loans or buy some chocolate.
6. Don't go to places where things are sold. Particularly, don't go to places with big "clearance" signs, because you will get sucked in. If you do have to go to one of these selling stations, decide what you need before you go in. Do not look around at the other fare for sell. Get in and get out. You do not need that roasting pan on "after-Thanksgiving" clearance. You don't eat meat OR host Thanksgiving. You do not need those ugly throw pillows so you can spend more money on fabric to re-cover them, particularly when you already have a sufficient number of throw pillows. (Opinions about sufficiency may vary. I generally think I need more when I find a clearance throw pillow for less than $10.)
7. Don't buy alcohol.
8. Don't wait till the end of the month/pay period to see how much money you've spent. It's not a game where you try to match the number goal. It's money and you will be out of it if you're not careful, young lady.
9. Balance your check book. (Another option is to talk to your kids sternly about balancing their checkbooks, because they will assume you're doing this because it's something you do. You should try to avoid them seeing you catching up on balancing your check book for October when it is May.)
10. Live in a place where you don't like a lot of restaurants, because then you're not as sad when you make the "big girl" choice to stay at home. If possible, like to cook and have a dishwasher.
11. Don't pay $3/week for the newspaper because you want $2 in coupons that you will probably forget to use.
12. Budget a little money for doing fun things. Otherwise, you won't get to hang out with your friends, and then you might get sad and then shop online.
What are your best money-saving tips?
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Why I Like Food
For some reason, I've always had an emotional connection to food. I'm sentimental about eating fried bread with tomatoes or sugar on Christmas and always make sure we get to my grandma's house in time to eat that meal. I'm sentimental about Oreos because my mom bought Dexter and I a giant box of Oreos packaged in tubes when we first got married, so we spent several evenings splitting a tube of Oreos and watching Ace of Cakes on Food Network. I'm sentimental about Creme de Menthe cake because that's what my dad had for his birthday a lot when I was a kid and I thought the greenish coolwhip looked really cool.
But I'm not just emotional about food I've experienced or eaten. My favorite books and movies have food related parts that become the focal point of my memories about the story. Now, it seems like my favorite books are cookbooks.
In Bread and Jam for Frances, after Frances begins to weary of eating bread and jam at every meal, she asks her friend Albert what he had in his lunch. "'I have a cream cheese-cucumber-and-tomato sandwich,' said Albert. 'And a boiled egg and salt shaker. And a thermos of milk. And a bunch of grapes. And a tangerine and a cup custard.'" At the end of the book, Frances shows off her lunch fare to Albert, "'I have tomato soup,' Frances said. 'And a lobster-salad sandwich. I have celery, carrot sticks, and black olives. And plums, and cherries, and vanilla pudding.'" There is no way I would have eaten tomatoes, custard, lobster, or plums as a child. But I always had a sense of excitement as I imagined Frances unpacking her lunchpail with so many different things inside. Maybe I was learning the moral of the story that Albert iterated, "I think it's nice that there are all different kinds of lunches and breakfasts and dinners and snacks."
Fast forward a few years to The Boxcar Children. My favorite parts of the book are when Henry thins the vegetable garden at the doctor's house and takes the tiny vegetables home so Jessie can make a stew, when they collect blueberries and have them with milk, and when they pick cherries at the doctor's house. (I also like the part when Henry organizes the doctor's garage, but that appeals to my OCD side, not my hungry side.)
In Little Women, one of the parts I remember most is when the sisters are astounded by a feast on Christmas morning despite slim rations because of the war, and their decision to take it to the poor family that lives nearby. And how Mr. Laurence sees what they did for the neighbors and sends over another feast. (Reminds me of Matt. 19:29).
In the movie The Shop Around the Corner, the shopkeeper who has just found out about his wife's unfaithfulness invites the hungry, poor messenger boy, who has moved to the city to earn money to send back to his family, to dinner. I cry at this part every single time.
And in Desk Set, it is over lunch on the roof with tough roast beef sandwiches that Mr. Sumner finds out how complex and brilliant Bunny's mind is.
I'm not sure why I like these parts of these stories, but I do. If I ever become a famous, amazing writer, I've decided I'll be a food writer.
But I'm not just emotional about food I've experienced or eaten. My favorite books and movies have food related parts that become the focal point of my memories about the story. Now, it seems like my favorite books are cookbooks.
In Bread and Jam for Frances, after Frances begins to weary of eating bread and jam at every meal, she asks her friend Albert what he had in his lunch. "'I have a cream cheese-cucumber-and-tomato sandwich,' said Albert. 'And a boiled egg and salt shaker. And a thermos of milk. And a bunch of grapes. And a tangerine and a cup custard.'" At the end of the book, Frances shows off her lunch fare to Albert, "'I have tomato soup,' Frances said. 'And a lobster-salad sandwich. I have celery, carrot sticks, and black olives. And plums, and cherries, and vanilla pudding.'" There is no way I would have eaten tomatoes, custard, lobster, or plums as a child. But I always had a sense of excitement as I imagined Frances unpacking her lunchpail with so many different things inside. Maybe I was learning the moral of the story that Albert iterated, "I think it's nice that there are all different kinds of lunches and breakfasts and dinners and snacks."
Fast forward a few years to The Boxcar Children. My favorite parts of the book are when Henry thins the vegetable garden at the doctor's house and takes the tiny vegetables home so Jessie can make a stew, when they collect blueberries and have them with milk, and when they pick cherries at the doctor's house. (I also like the part when Henry organizes the doctor's garage, but that appeals to my OCD side, not my hungry side.)
In Little Women, one of the parts I remember most is when the sisters are astounded by a feast on Christmas morning despite slim rations because of the war, and their decision to take it to the poor family that lives nearby. And how Mr. Laurence sees what they did for the neighbors and sends over another feast. (Reminds me of Matt. 19:29).
In the movie The Shop Around the Corner, the shopkeeper who has just found out about his wife's unfaithfulness invites the hungry, poor messenger boy, who has moved to the city to earn money to send back to his family, to dinner. I cry at this part every single time.
And in Desk Set, it is over lunch on the roof with tough roast beef sandwiches that Mr. Sumner finds out how complex and brilliant Bunny's mind is.
I'm not sure why I like these parts of these stories, but I do. If I ever become a famous, amazing writer, I've decided I'll be a food writer.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Are you a turnip eater?
I didn't grow up eating a wide variety of vegetables. Potatoes, corn, green beans, and raw carrots were the staples. I learned to love broccoli, to my mother's chagrin, at my grandma's house, and am currently making strides with tomatoes.
Every once in a while, I'll remember a vegetable mentioned in a book I read as a child or have seen at the grocery store, and realize that I've never eaten it and possibly have never talked to a real live person who regularly eats that vegetable. (I recommend reading The Pea Patch Jig by Thacher Hurd in order to instill vegetable curiosity in your children.)
I don't know where my imaginary connection to turnips is coming from. I'm wondering if Rabbit grew turnips in his garden in Winnie the Pooh. Or maybe Frances refused to eat them in Bread and Jam for Frances. Did Molly eat turnips on the first page of an American Girls book that I've never read? Either way, I've had turnips and parsnips on the brain and decided to buy a bag of turnips for experimentation.
My first turnip attempt was roasting. I love other vegetables roasted and thought it would be a sure fire way to get myself to love turnips. That was a flop. My first mistake: roasting them alongside potatoes. Roasted potatoes are just too simple, comforting, and delicious to allow other vegetables to shine at all. My second mistake: roasting turnips in the first place. They turned out mushy and bitter.
I almost gave up hope but didn't want to throw away my four remaining turnips. I threw one into Sarah's potato soup and it was completely masked by the soup's creamy delightfulness.
I'm about to try my wildcard turnip recipe, which I found at allrecipes.com. If you go to the HC house church, on Sunday, along with a delicious chana masala and a tantalizing chicken Indian dish, you'll be experiencing Kashmiri-Style Kidney Beans with Turnips. Brace your taste buds, folks. This is going to be interesting.
While I've been doing all this experimenting, I've started to wonder if eating turnips is even important. Maybe it's one of those vegetables that tricks you in to thinking you need to eat it because it's a vegetable, when really it has little nutritional value. What I've found out is that turnips have fiber and Vitamin C. Turnip greens, which had been removed from my turnips, contain large amounts of Vitamin A and lutein, which can prevent cataracts and cardiovascular disease.
I don't know that turnips will become a staple on our household menu, but I'm glad to have experienced turnip week. I'm still curious, however, if and how other people eat their turnips.
Every once in a while, I'll remember a vegetable mentioned in a book I read as a child or have seen at the grocery store, and realize that I've never eaten it and possibly have never talked to a real live person who regularly eats that vegetable. (I recommend reading The Pea Patch Jig by Thacher Hurd in order to instill vegetable curiosity in your children.)
I don't know where my imaginary connection to turnips is coming from. I'm wondering if Rabbit grew turnips in his garden in Winnie the Pooh. Or maybe Frances refused to eat them in Bread and Jam for Frances. Did Molly eat turnips on the first page of an American Girls book that I've never read? Either way, I've had turnips and parsnips on the brain and decided to buy a bag of turnips for experimentation.
My first turnip attempt was roasting. I love other vegetables roasted and thought it would be a sure fire way to get myself to love turnips. That was a flop. My first mistake: roasting them alongside potatoes. Roasted potatoes are just too simple, comforting, and delicious to allow other vegetables to shine at all. My second mistake: roasting turnips in the first place. They turned out mushy and bitter.
I almost gave up hope but didn't want to throw away my four remaining turnips. I threw one into Sarah's potato soup and it was completely masked by the soup's creamy delightfulness.
I'm about to try my wildcard turnip recipe, which I found at allrecipes.com. If you go to the HC house church, on Sunday, along with a delicious chana masala and a tantalizing chicken Indian dish, you'll be experiencing Kashmiri-Style Kidney Beans with Turnips. Brace your taste buds, folks. This is going to be interesting.
While I've been doing all this experimenting, I've started to wonder if eating turnips is even important. Maybe it's one of those vegetables that tricks you in to thinking you need to eat it because it's a vegetable, when really it has little nutritional value. What I've found out is that turnips have fiber and Vitamin C. Turnip greens, which had been removed from my turnips, contain large amounts of Vitamin A and lutein, which can prevent cataracts and cardiovascular disease.
I don't know that turnips will become a staple on our household menu, but I'm glad to have experienced turnip week. I'm still curious, however, if and how other people eat their turnips.
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