Still playing catch up here, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
My favorite vase dressed up for winter.......
I don't know about you all, but I really don't make "New Year's Resolutions". That being said, there are things that I would like to integrate into my lifestyle for the New Year.
First and foremost, I would like to continue to deepen my spiritual journey. Part of this will be a continuation of counting my blessings and working through Ann Voskamp's Devotional book along with consistent studying of The Word.
Because we have been so blessed, we felt the desire to pass some of those blessings along by adopting a young girl from El Salvador through Compassion International. I look forward to being a part of her life and her a part of mine.
As mentioned in my previous post, I have also chosen a word(s) that will be my theme for living this year. It is "Be Still", coming, of course, from Psalm 46:10 - "Be still and know that I am God". I pondered long and hard about the word(s) to choose that would impact the way I live my life this year, and, as is frequently the case, God supplied it to me in a quiet moment. Be still............2013.
A couple of years ago I posted concerning my desire to make a difference for our environment. We have made progress in this area. In the past 1 1/2 years we have reduced our trash by two thirds by composting and recycling. I have to tell you, I was amazed, I mean, we are not fanatics. I thought that we might reduce it by one third, but never this much! Let me share with you one of my favorite compost/recycle tips. I looked around the internet for a "cool" (meaning attractive) compost bin and was taken aback at the prices!! After determining that the bin would be kept under the kitchen counter, the question became "why spend that kind of money on something you don't see?". After more surfing the web, this idea appeared and it has worked out beautifully:
Yep, a recycled coffee container lined with recycled bread bag........double whammy! Works great, no odors escape and it washes nicely........best of all, free and recycled.....and stores neatly under the kitchen sink. The chickens have also helped us with our composting journey :-)) and are providing plenty of lovely, delicious eggs for us, our family and friends.
We continue to garden and freeze our own veggies. We are, in fact, still enjoying our garden's bounty with mixed greens, collards, spinnich and salad greens. The chickens are enjoying them, too. This is some of the crisp, fresh lettuce.
And, consequently, I am cooking more fresh food. Even doing some bread baking and more "from scratch" cooking.
This year I plan to seek out more earth friendly products that are MADE IN THE USA. Our first purchase was a recyclable, Made in the USA shower curtain liner. On a trip to Office Depot this week there was a nice package of Burt's Bees products on sale for 1/2 price.......nice goodies like hand salve, lotion, body wash, lip balm.......perfect!! I am on the way.
We brought in the New Year very quietly here, along with Robert and Sara Ashley, who were mostly glued to electronics for the night. Except when they were eating or Robert was showing off his Gangnam dance moves :-))
And so, I think I have finally caught up. Perhaps I can keep up now. I do enjoy visiting with you.
GRATITUDES:
A clean sewing room.
Enjoying the antics of chickens free ranging the garden.
Sweet memories of my mother who would have been 101 years old on January 4th.
Take care,
Jennie
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