Photo: Garden of the Gods B&W

I love black and white photography. :) I took this one today (1/13/12) at Garden of the Gods. I think it came out quite well!

Live With No Regrets

Today the world lost a special young guy. This song he wrote and sang touches my heart with a message of how I want to live my life.

A year ago tomorrow, Jason's (my husband) dad also passed away. So lots of remembering going on right now. Reflecting on life and living it in a way that brings glory to God. I want to live my life in a way that leaves no regrets.

The Lord can call us home at any time. As Shawn was fighting for his life in Utah, I sat playing a computer game on Facebook. Even at the time I realized how trivial that was, and even though I was praying as I mindlessly clicked the mouse button, part of me wondered if I could be doing something even better. Of course, there's always something better to be doing, although the Lord wouldn't frown upon a relaxing activity like a game as long as it does not consume my day.

Tomorrow, I get to wake up to another day, more than likely. Shawn does not. Curt Kisner does not. How can I spend my tomorrow in a way that, if the Lord were to call me home tomorrow night, I would be satisfied with what I've done and what I leave behind?

Frugality: Money Saving Ideas

Yesterday I posted a Facebook status asking for ways people save money and practice frugality in general. I was surprised at the amount of responses I received! Some were things I definitely already know and practice, others were brand new! But I'm going to share them all so anyone else who is interested can get new ideas!

1. Coupons!

2. Make your own coffee at home and avoid going to coffee shops.

3. Take your lunch to work and don't eat out.

4. coordinate shopping trips to save gas.

5. Use a grocery list when shopping and buy only what's on the list.

6. Cut cable.

7. Buy generic brands over name brands.

8. Get your personal finances in order (visit sites like The Simple Dollar for good advice!)

9. Plan your meals around grocery ads and what's on sale.

10. visit totallyfreestuff.com to pick up free samples and such.

11. Use the 10-second/30-day rules before making purchases.

12. Grow your own garden.

13. Use towels/cloth napkins rather than paper towels.

14. Line-dry clothes.

15. Watch TV less (or not at all!)

16. Bike or walk when possible instead of driving.

17. make your own laundry detergent

18. avoid buying soft drinks

19. use CFL lightbulbs

20. simplify your cell phone plan

21. use a water filter rather than buying bottled water

22. use a cash-only system for purchases to limit your spending

23. don't eat out!

24. create a personal budget

25. Find entertainment that is very inexpensive or free.

Over the next month or so I plan on elaborating on each of these topics. Some of them I haven't tried myself (yet). I will do a bit of research into each one, and if I have time I will try it before I post on it-if not I'll write a later post on what happened!

I want to investigate the practicality as well as frugality of each of these awesome ideas. Feel free to comment and let me know what works (and doesn't!) for you!

Meal Idea: Homemade Mac N Cheese

I LOVE macaroni and cheese. Well, I love pretty much anything with cheese. It's heaven in my mouth.

So you can imagine my horror when I dared to look at the nutrition info and ingredients of a box of mac n cheese from the store one day. YIKES. I knew I loved mac n cheese too much to give it up... and yet I wanted to eat something healthier. Even the organic boxes didn't seem healthy enough.

So one day, I decided to make my own!

It's actually not that difficult. I followed a basic cheese sauce recipe and added it the the noodles. I start boiling the water for the pasta (medium-high, covered) before I begin the cheese sauce. I prefer using mini shells, but all sorts of noodles work just fine!

The following amounts are enough for about 12 oz of pasta.

2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP flour (basically, just keep equal portions of each if you increase or decrease the amount you make)
1 cup milk

1 cup cheese (I find sharp cheddar is the most flavorful without having to add salt. It's also fun to add different kinds of cheeses. Mix it up!)

First melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Then mix in the flour until it's thoroughly combined. Gradually add the milk, about 1/4 cup at a time. Once all

the milk is in, stir continually until the mixture boils.

Once the water for the pasta has boiled, take a quick break from stirring (or wrangle a helper!) and add the pasta.

When it just starts to boil, remove from the heat and stir in the cheese! (a note: you can add more cheese if you like, it just increases the thickness. It does NOT increase the flavor to add more cheese.)

If your pasta is ready, go ahead and drain/strain it. Then add it to the cheese sauce. YUM!

My favorite pairing of side dishes with mac n cheese is broccoli and sausage. I like smoked kielbasa, although most recently we tried a new apple-flavored natural sausage that was DELICIOUS. This meal is sure to be a hit with

kids--it was my favorite growing up! :)

Project: Kitchen Menu

I owe some credit for this idea to my friend, Amanda Reid.

This little project is a HUGE help in planning weekly meals! And when we plan meals ahead, we also eat out less! This helps our finances AND our waistlines. :)

This is a simple project. I used:

one 8x10 frame

scrapbooking paper(I used 2 different sheets to create the top/bottom border and the solid middle)

letter stickers (or you can use a pen or marker and write them in)

dry erase markers

Just cut the papers to fit the 8x10 size (most scrapbooking paper comes in a square shape). Arrange the letter stickers onto the paper how you want to display the days of the week. Insert the paper into the frame; hang on the wall in your kitchen. Use the dry-erase markers on the glass (wipes off easily!) to write in each day's dinner plans.

Voila! Super-easy, fashionable weekly meal planner!

And another bonus? Now no one needs to ask what's for dinner. ;)

Learning to say "I'm Sorry"

Recently, I've struggled with strong emotions relating to mistakes I've made in my past. I've hurt people I cared for very deeply, and some of those relationships were ruined as a result.

The very worst part is, it was never intentional.

Through my tears I have asked "why?" many times, asking the Lord why I am suddenly having this influx of painful flashbacks.

I have noticed, especially in the past week, that I have been a lot quicker to say "I'm sorry" to my husband when I speak to him in a disrespectful manner. Not 100% of the time; not always immediately; but it is happening more frequently.

Ideally, I will soon learn to take more control over my tone of voice and my mood/emotions so I can preemptively avoid speaking to him that way, period. But the apologies and awareness of this weakness are definitely a step in the right direction!

And if learning to speak more respectfully to those I love is the only reason that God is allowing me to experience these painful memories, then more glory to Him and I'll accept it.

Long Walks

Long walks are good for the soul.

At a time where my heart sometimes feels overwhelmed by different circumstances, I know I can take refuge in the peace, quiet, and sometimes solitude of a long walk. The exercise is good for my body, the fresh air good for my spirit. I might spend half the walk thinking, praying, crying, and whatnot, but I ALWAYS return home refreshed.

A hot shower afterward sure helps as well!

Today I walked for two hours. (!) I sometimes forget that the "Square Mile" takes that long to walk. It was icy, chilly, and I slipped and fell (and nearly lost my phone) once, but I am so glad I went. Further reason I hope to eventually move closer to the country again! I don't like having to drive for 20-30 minutes to go on such walks.