Charities

Ever wonder how much of your donations are going to administration, advertising, salaries? Here is a link with a wealth of information so you can make an informed decision before donating to any charity:

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/chrts-gvng/lstngs/menu-eng.html

One of the very well known charities, World Vision, does a lot of advertising to get people to donate. We were absolutely shocked at the salaries of those in management with this organization. We're thankful that detailed information is made available - all one has to do is a little searching via that website.

Shopping Carts

I'm looking for advice/suggestions. Because we are likely relocating to an area that is within walking distance to a grocery store, I would love to walk instead of using the vehicle. So I've been searching for shopping carts to wheel groceries home.

My boys would probably disown me if I pulled one of these aluminum two wheeled shopping carts - not that I really care myself but I would rather our two remaining sons live at home for a while yet lol...

I came across the name 'Rolser' on amazon and was impressed....until I saw the price.... I'm wondering if there are other products similar to Rolser out there. Does anyone know?

http://www.amazon.ca/ROLSER-ROTATING-SOLID-BLU-included/dp/B009U2883A/ref=aag_m_pw_dp?ie=UTF8&m=ASYVY7AXXMCPW

Too busy?

“One reason we are so harried and hurried is that we make yesterday and tomorrow our business, when all that legitimately concerns us is today. If we really have too much to do, there are some items on the agenda which God did not put there. Let us submit the list to Him and ask Him to indicate which items we must delete. There is always time to do the will of God. If we are too busy to do that, we are too busy.”
― Elisabeth Elliot, Secure in the Everlasting Arms

So, what DO you do?

I get asked this question more often than I like. Three boys are moved out, one still in post secondary and one in high school. So I'm supposed to have a lot of 'free' time...after all, I am a still a stay at home mom and, may I add, quite proud of the fact :-) When I get asked what I do for a job, I simply state that I work at home.

I remember, years ago, when it became more accepted for moms to head back into the workforce, my mother lamented the fact that there would be fewer women within the church to seek out those who needed help. You see, my mom was a stay at home mom but she gave so much of her time for the benefit of others - especially the sick, the handicapped, the lonely. She was and still is a quiet blessing to so many people.

I won't deny that there are legitimate reasons for some to seek work outside the home, but should working outside the home become one of our goals? Perhaps we need to look 'inward' instead of 'outward' for way to make extra money. On a typical day, I will often save $40 just by simply baking, canning, cooking, budgeting, and just leaving the car in the driveway and saving on gas. We don't need to insure our vehicle for work, I don't need professional type clothes, rarely eat in restaurants and don't focus on fancy vacations or weekend getaways.

We were blessed to hear Rev. Pol preach a sermon on 2 Cor 5:6-10. He encouraged us to spend our life on things that matter and to measure every decision and purchase we make against eternal value. He encouraged us to look for opportunities to serve. How can we serve if our schedules are so packed?

May we all pray that those God places on our path are not neglected. I fail often and Rev. Pol's sermon was a nudge to work harder at seeking out those who truly need a listening ear.

Our Handful of Guys!

Here is our handful of very energetic young men. This is one of the 'normal' photos of them....there is usually a lot of craziness when trying to get their pic.

Avoiding Food Waste

Both my hubby and I grew up in families where left overs were seldom thrown out, and we strive to continue to keep food waste to a minimum. It generally means that I have to become quite creative in putting some meals together :-)

The leftovers I had to work with today:
-A cup of sauce (which was basically ketchup/soy sauce/honey sauce for chicken) left over from an earlier dinner. We had eaten all the chicken but some sauce remained in the pan, so this went into the fridge.
-Two hamburger patties (home made) that were left over from an earlier BBQ and tossed into the freezer.
-Left over bacon
-Mushrooms that had (earlier) been fried and frozen into portions.
-A bit of red onion

Here is what I did with this, along with some veggies from our garden. The end result was a very delicious macaroni dish which received rave reviews :-)

I fried the bacon and set aside to drain on paper towels. Using a bit of the bacon grease, I fried the onion, then a chopped yellow pepper and small diced zucchini (seeded). Then the mushrooms and finely chopped (1 cup) swiss chard were added, along with the cooked bacon.  (In the meantime, I made one cup of chicken broth using Better than Bouillon and added this to the left over sauce.)

To the fried veggies/meat, 1-1/2 T. of flour was stirred through before adding the sauce/broth. After bring to a simmer to thicken the sauce, 1 cup of grated cheese was stirred through before adding cooked macaroni. This went into a glass dish and put in the microwave just before dinner.
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 By the way, our garden is producing A LOT of zucchini so, if you live in my town and want some, let me know. Grated raw zucchini can be put into the freezer and used, liquid and all, in loaves and muffins. They make the most delicious chocolate chip zucchini muffins!

"Wanting less is probably a better blessing than having more"

 I've been pondering a lot lately on the topic of 'minimalism' and may write about this on my blog one day. In the meantime, here is a quote I came across by Mary Ellen Edmunds:

“Wanting less is probably a better blessing than having more.”

I am not one for spending time in shopping malls but once in a blue moon necessity dictates a trip there. It bothers me when I see A LOT of teenage girls out shopping and I just recently read that  93% of teenage girls (in the U.S.) list shopping as their number one choice of recreation.

We live in a culture steeped in consumerism which translates into a whole host of problems, especially debt and an abundance of stress. Wanting less gives a person more time, contentment, and of course freedom from stuff and unnecessary debt.