FIVE IN THE POTTER'S HAND
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Music to My Ears
My sons, Mr. Dramatic and Mr. Independent, are entertaining their little sister, Miss Precious, with a concert. We bought Mr. Independent a guitar for Christmas and Mr. Dramatic got a used keyboard (Goodwill find for $15) for pottytraining success (a year or so ago). Anyway, they love to make up silly songs to make their baby sister smile. And to me, that is music to a mother's ears!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
To Tithe or Not To Tithe...
While perusing the blogosphere, I was reading the comments in one blog and the topic was frugality. This commenter asked the question where does tithing fit into it all. Her other queries were do you tithe net or gross. I hopped over to the commenter's blog and answered those questions. But as I did, I thought it would be a great topic for my blog.
What is the tithe?
Tithe by definition is a tenth of your income. In Christianity, biblically based, a tithe is the first tenth portion of your income.
"And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's. It is holy to the Lord." Lev. 27:30
"You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year." Deut. 14:22
"Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed you?' In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse because you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,' says the Lord of hosts, 'If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,' says the Lord of hosts; 'And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,'says the Lord of hosts." Mal. 3:10-12
Mr. Querido and I believe that tithing means giving the ten percent off of the top. We tithe on our gross, not our net income. We write out the tithe check before we pay any other bills. This helps us to remember that God gets precedence in all areas, especially our finances. It is a tangible reminder that God is our Provider and we look to Him for our sustenance, not my husband's employer.
We also believe that God blesses us when we tithe. We find great sales, fabulous discounts, reduced rates and other price cuts in every area. He loves to bless His obedient children. We place ourselves in a position to receive those blessings when we are doing what He has told us to. He is not an arbitrary parent who makes up silly rules just to see if we will obey. No, His commandments are with our best interest at heart. There is always a reward for obedience. A good reward.
Our reward? I get to stay at home with my three children. I don't have to run a daycare out of my home (no offense to those women who can handle more kids than their own!), I don't have to sell anything to keep us afloat, I don't have a small side business at all. I am a full-time homemaker. My husband only has to work one job, with minimal overtime required. He just got a 67-cent raise last month. Our mortgage payment went down by $14.82 a month. We have been blessed with clothing handed down to our sons, who seem to be growing out of everything. We have money in savings and our checkbook balance hasn't gone negative. We are content with the blessings He has bestowed on us.
To tithe or not to tithe? "Can I afford to tithe?", you may ask.
But I ask you, "Can you afford not to?"
What is the tithe?
Tithe by definition is a tenth of your income. In Christianity, biblically based, a tithe is the first tenth portion of your income.
"And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's. It is holy to the Lord." Lev. 27:30
"You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year." Deut. 14:22
"Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed you?' In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse because you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,' says the Lord of hosts, 'If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,' says the Lord of hosts; 'And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,'says the Lord of hosts." Mal. 3:10-12
Mr. Querido and I believe that tithing means giving the ten percent off of the top. We tithe on our gross, not our net income. We write out the tithe check before we pay any other bills. This helps us to remember that God gets precedence in all areas, especially our finances. It is a tangible reminder that God is our Provider and we look to Him for our sustenance, not my husband's employer.
We also believe that God blesses us when we tithe. We find great sales, fabulous discounts, reduced rates and other price cuts in every area. He loves to bless His obedient children. We place ourselves in a position to receive those blessings when we are doing what He has told us to. He is not an arbitrary parent who makes up silly rules just to see if we will obey. No, His commandments are with our best interest at heart. There is always a reward for obedience. A good reward.
Our reward? I get to stay at home with my three children. I don't have to run a daycare out of my home (no offense to those women who can handle more kids than their own!), I don't have to sell anything to keep us afloat, I don't have a small side business at all. I am a full-time homemaker. My husband only has to work one job, with minimal overtime required. He just got a 67-cent raise last month. Our mortgage payment went down by $14.82 a month. We have been blessed with clothing handed down to our sons, who seem to be growing out of everything. We have money in savings and our checkbook balance hasn't gone negative. We are content with the blessings He has bestowed on us.
To tithe or not to tithe? "Can I afford to tithe?", you may ask.
But I ask you, "Can you afford not to?"
VERY Thankful Thursday
Last night, my husband was working outside. He ran into two of our neighbors. One was a man with three children. His wife stays home with the kids during the day and once he comes home, she goes to work. I remember doing that for two years. Mr. Querido and I were like ships passing in the night. This made it really rough for our marriage. Plus we were both just so exhausted. We never did anything fun. And we were barely making ends meet.
When Miss Precious came along, I decided that I had enough of being a part-time mom, so we agreed that I would stay at home. Mr. Querido would get a part-time job and things would be fine. Slight problem, he was unable to find a part-time job that coordinated with his full-time hours. Instead, he decided that he is going to take GED prep classes. We both agreed that this was necessary and that he could get a pizza delivery job. Multiple applications to pizza places later and no one is calling him in for an interview. Despite the obvious lack of resources, we feel strangely at peace.
Fast forward to seven months later. Mr. Querido still does not have a part-time job. But his employer is having him work overtime every now and then. Our mortgage payment has been decreased by $14.82 a month for no apparent reason and we are able to pay all of our bills. We have food in our cupboards and pantry. We have nice clothes for the kids (blessed hand-me-downs!). Just when we think ends aren't going to meet, God makes a way.
Did I mention that we tithe? We have always set apart the first ten percent for God. He has honored our obedience and blessed us.
Today, I realized that we are the only single-income family that we know of on our block. There is a woman with five children who does daycare out of her home, our neighbors across the street still do daycare even though they are retired. Our neighbors to the side both work and the wife goes to school (no kids). Everyone around us has to have two incomes to make ends meet. Even though we have added to our family and decreased income at the same time, we are thriving.
Thank you Lord, for being faithful to reward our obedience. Help us to be good stewards with what you give us. We are grateful for every blessing you have bestowed upon us. Let us be a blessing to others!
Amen.
When Miss Precious came along, I decided that I had enough of being a part-time mom, so we agreed that I would stay at home. Mr. Querido would get a part-time job and things would be fine. Slight problem, he was unable to find a part-time job that coordinated with his full-time hours. Instead, he decided that he is going to take GED prep classes. We both agreed that this was necessary and that he could get a pizza delivery job. Multiple applications to pizza places later and no one is calling him in for an interview. Despite the obvious lack of resources, we feel strangely at peace.
Fast forward to seven months later. Mr. Querido still does not have a part-time job. But his employer is having him work overtime every now and then. Our mortgage payment has been decreased by $14.82 a month for no apparent reason and we are able to pay all of our bills. We have food in our cupboards and pantry. We have nice clothes for the kids (blessed hand-me-downs!). Just when we think ends aren't going to meet, God makes a way.
Did I mention that we tithe? We have always set apart the first ten percent for God. He has honored our obedience and blessed us.
Today, I realized that we are the only single-income family that we know of on our block. There is a woman with five children who does daycare out of her home, our neighbors across the street still do daycare even though they are retired. Our neighbors to the side both work and the wife goes to school (no kids). Everyone around us has to have two incomes to make ends meet. Even though we have added to our family and decreased income at the same time, we are thriving.
Thank you Lord, for being faithful to reward our obedience. Help us to be good stewards with what you give us. We are grateful for every blessing you have bestowed upon us. Let us be a blessing to others!
Amen.
Tooth Update
Just thought I would let you loyal readers know that my chin and lips are still numb. I called Dr. G today and he said that depending on the type of surgery I had, the parasthesia (numbness) could last for up to 6 WEEKS! The weird thing is that the numbness is traveling to the right side of my face, all the dental work was done on the left side. I am going to wait until tomorrow to see what my face feels like, then I might have to call the good dentist again.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Holy Cow I Spent WHAT???!!!
After saving our reciepts for the month of March, I tallied up what we spent in various areas. The one area that ARRESTED my attention was...FOOD. We spent a WHOPPING $610.41 IN ONE MONTH!!! To be more accurate, that included eating out, soda, and miscellaneous baby items such as diapers and wipes. (No, we do not use cloth diapers. Been there done that, with Mr.Dramatic and Mr. Independent, really glad we can afford disposables! Plus, now that we have to pay for water, not so economic to use cloth.)
Anyway, after resuscitating myself after my coronary, I decided that we need to do a lot better in this area. We could be saving $100 a month if we drop it down to $500 for food. $100 a month for a year is $1200 ...all from being more frugal with what we eat!
Now, the challenge will be for me mainly. As I am the one who prepares the majority of the meals here in the FITPH household. Frugal meals that still taste good and ones that the children will eat. This could be difficult as Mr.Dramatic is just about the pickiest eater alive. Mr. Querido blames me because I am a very particular eater. I know what I like and what I do not like. I am trying to be less picky. I am trying to be adventurous. But by nature I am NOT a risk taker. What is so risky about food? Taste and texture. I don't like onions in my food because they crunch. Do potato chips bother me? No. Cooked onions are even worse, slimy like a slug. I chop up onions so they are so small no one but Mr.Dramatic would be able to detect them. Either that, or I leave them in big circles so that I can pick them out...LOL! I am not a vegetable lover either. Though I have branched out this year and tried asparagus (liked it) and artichokes (liked them). But I need to get past the A's of veggies. I am diligently trying to incorporate more greens into our diet because A) they are good for our health and B) they are definitely cheaper than meat!
This weekend I realized that I had an overabundance of potoates (I kept buying them because I didn't remember we already had two other bags at home.) I decided to make a vegetable stew. Here is what I used:
5 Medium red potatoes (don't forget to chop out the eyes, but leave the rest of the skins intact)
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
A little bit of onion
Canned diced tomatoes
Clove of garlic, chopped
A cup of barley
Black pepper
Chicken broth
Lemon pepper seasoning
Cilantro
Salt
Basil
Thyme
Put it all in a pot. Season to taste and let it boil until all vegetables are tender. Serve hot with rolls.
I, the avowed veggie hater, LOVED it! It was hearty, healthy and filling. And it was colorful and inviting. Not to mention--CHEAP. I still need to figure out how much per serving it cost, but definitely less than if I had added chicken or beef. Also, as a side note, I usually do not do "throw it in a pot" stews very well. Usually, they turn out mediocre. I am so hoping that I can recreate this recipe with the same results.
OK, so all this to say that my goal for April is to spend no more than $500 for groceries (including diapers and toiletries) and also to include a lot more vegetable based meals into our menu.
Wish me luck!
Anyway, after resuscitating myself after my coronary, I decided that we need to do a lot better in this area. We could be saving $100 a month if we drop it down to $500 for food. $100 a month for a year is $1200 ...all from being more frugal with what we eat!
Now, the challenge will be for me mainly. As I am the one who prepares the majority of the meals here in the FITPH household. Frugal meals that still taste good and ones that the children will eat. This could be difficult as Mr.Dramatic is just about the pickiest eater alive. Mr. Querido blames me because I am a very particular eater. I know what I like and what I do not like. I am trying to be less picky. I am trying to be adventurous. But by nature I am NOT a risk taker. What is so risky about food? Taste and texture. I don't like onions in my food because they crunch. Do potato chips bother me? No. Cooked onions are even worse, slimy like a slug. I chop up onions so they are so small no one but Mr.Dramatic would be able to detect them. Either that, or I leave them in big circles so that I can pick them out...LOL! I am not a vegetable lover either. Though I have branched out this year and tried asparagus (liked it) and artichokes (liked them). But I need to get past the A's of veggies. I am diligently trying to incorporate more greens into our diet because A) they are good for our health and B) they are definitely cheaper than meat!
This weekend I realized that I had an overabundance of potoates (I kept buying them because I didn't remember we already had two other bags at home.) I decided to make a vegetable stew. Here is what I used:
5 Medium red potatoes (don't forget to chop out the eyes, but leave the rest of the skins intact)
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
A little bit of onion
Canned diced tomatoes
Clove of garlic, chopped
A cup of barley
Black pepper
Chicken broth
Lemon pepper seasoning
Cilantro
Salt
Basil
Thyme
Put it all in a pot. Season to taste and let it boil until all vegetables are tender. Serve hot with rolls.
I, the avowed veggie hater, LOVED it! It was hearty, healthy and filling. And it was colorful and inviting. Not to mention--CHEAP. I still need to figure out how much per serving it cost, but definitely less than if I had added chicken or beef. Also, as a side note, I usually do not do "throw it in a pot" stews very well. Usually, they turn out mediocre. I am so hoping that I can recreate this recipe with the same results.
OK, so all this to say that my goal for April is to spend no more than $500 for groceries (including diapers and toiletries) and also to include a lot more vegetable based meals into our menu.
Wish me luck!
Home Improvement Project Updates
Well, since the broken toe incident and the teeth extractions, I haven't done a whole lot of painting. But Mr. Querido put up the awesome light fixture in our bathroom. (Did I mention that we only have ONE bathroom, so it needs to look great, ALL THE TIME. Talk about pressure!) I love the contemporary look it gives to our space. Can't wait to paint the walls!
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Oh and the little piece of wall that peeks out above the shower curtain, I am going to put a quote up there.
(Geez, my towels look horrendous..hmmm...I think that more will be changed than the wall color!)
"Soap is to the body, what laughter is to the soul." Yiddish Proverb
I love it! It will be in black lettering. Not sure what font yet. I tried to print it out on my computer, but I cannot get the font big enough. Going to have to break down and buy stencils. Still cheaper than stick-ons!
I just wish there were something that we could do about the cabinetry in our bathroom. It is obviously the cheapest one the renovators could find. I am not a fan of oak, did I mention that before? In fact, I am a wood snob. My husband and I both are..lol! We like things like, Mahogany or Dark Walnut. No pine. We do not pine away for pine (or oak). We like bold wood. Wood that makes a statement. And since those options are not quite within our squeaky budget, we will probably paint the cabinets. Or replace them ...
Can I just say that I am totally impressed with IKEA? I thought that all that hoity-toity furniture would cost a pretty penny, but it is so affordable. Mr. Querido and I need to get in a date to IKEA, sans children of course. However, we would definitely need to set a limit for that shopping trip!
Stay tuned for more home improvement updates!
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Oh and the little piece of wall that peeks out above the shower curtain, I am going to put a quote up there.
(Geez, my towels look horrendous..hmmm...I think that more will be changed than the wall color!)
"Soap is to the body, what laughter is to the soul." Yiddish Proverb
I love it! It will be in black lettering. Not sure what font yet. I tried to print it out on my computer, but I cannot get the font big enough. Going to have to break down and buy stencils. Still cheaper than stick-ons!
I just wish there were something that we could do about the cabinetry in our bathroom. It is obviously the cheapest one the renovators could find. I am not a fan of oak, did I mention that before? In fact, I am a wood snob. My husband and I both are..lol! We like things like, Mahogany or Dark Walnut. No pine. We do not pine away for pine (or oak). We like bold wood. Wood that makes a statement. And since those options are not quite within our squeaky budget, we will probably paint the cabinets. Or replace them ...
Can I just say that I am totally impressed with IKEA? I thought that all that hoity-toity furniture would cost a pretty penny, but it is so affordable. Mr. Querido and I need to get in a date to IKEA, sans children of course. However, we would definitely need to set a limit for that shopping trip!
Stay tuned for more home improvement updates!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
A Hole In My Head
You ever heard that saying..."I need one of those like I need a hole in the head."? Well, apparently I needed not one, but TWO holes in my head! (Actually, I need to go back for two more when these heal up!)
Getting my wisdom teeth extracted was definitely NOT fun. It isn't really a painful thing (well, not yet anyway...the novacaine hasn't worn off yet..lol) as much as it is a mental thing. When the dentist, we'll call him Dr. G, was leveraging my teeth out of my mouth, it felt like (as he described it) my brain was going to be yanked out with the tooth.
The first tooth, which was on the bottom, came out without much trouble. Dr G. told me that the upper teeth were even easier. Well, either the good doctor lied or I just got one heck of a tenacious tooth! He worked on that tooth for probably forty-five minutes! With the first tooth, all I had was novacaine. Ten minutes into the second extraction, I started feeling REALLY NAUSEOUS. So I had to break down and take the nitrous oxide. After that, it was still a toe-curling experience, but at least my body was somewhat relaxed even if my mind was not.
Finally, I heard those beloved words from the dental hygienest "It's out!" I felt like I had just given birth!
The tooth had a horrendous hook on the end, which made it very difficult to extract. But, it is out and the infection is slowly healing.
I have two more on the other side that need to come out. But I am going to wait a while on those. And definitely when I go in, I am going to have the nitrous oxide! Crank it up Ms. Hygienest!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)