Doodle Acres

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One of my favorite parts of being on vacation in Vermont, as I am now, is that I get a chance to read, read, read!!!  Well this morning I just finished a wonderful book called Shopping for Time by Carolyn Mahaney, Nicole Whitacre, Kristin Chesemore, and Janelle Bradshaw.  It is an easy read and yet very thought provoking.  I have just come through a period of two months of running, running, running and this book is very timely for me as I seek to find balance in my life.  There are so many good things to do, so many good opportunities but what are the best choices for my family and me.  This book has helped me by reminding me that all my days need to be started by ”sitting at Jesus’ feet.”  It’s been a while since I’ve done that!!! And I know from personal experience what peace that can bring to my life.  Shopping for Time offers practical solutions and ideas for finding the time to sit at Jesus’ feet and to live a proactive lifestyle rather than a reactive one, and much more.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!!

P.S. The authors (a mother and her daughters) have a blog called GirlTalk…

I just read a wonderful post over at “Here in the Bonny Glenn” by Melissa Wiley about homeschooling and the concerns of well-intentioned nay-sayers.  It is incredibly accurate and funny!!! I encourage you to take a meander over there to enjoy Melissa’s insight and wit!!!

HT: Michele at The Family-Centered Life

“Less is better. Little things done daily are better than grand plans. Give your children lots of tiny moments. When they approach the computer turn your chair around and look them in the eye and if you find more in their eyes than on the screen get up and take them on a nature walk or read a book to them.”

This is a quote from a post on Dominion Family - in fact this is the last post that will be written by this blogger who is signing off.  Her post is thought-provoking and timely.  I would encourage you to read it, especially if your internet/blogging  habit can get the best of you (as it does to me sometimes).

I get wanderlust just looking at this map!!!

create your own visited states map

HT: Mary Ellen

For those of you couch potatoes like me who are looking for a way to get in shape after the holidays, I came across a website that has the “Walk to Rivendell” challenge.  We can walk ourselves healthy following Frodo’s path.  They have different distances that represent different parts of his journey.  Anyway, I thought it might be a good motivator for LOTR fans like me!!!

I just read a beautiful post by Cay Gibson over at Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks.  I think it is particularly appropriate during this Christmas season when I can feel squeezed and the “victims” of those stressed feelings are those that I love the most on God’s green earth - my husband and children.  Cay asks the question, “Do I treat my family as lovingly and kindly as I would a stranger on the street?”.  Good question, Cay!  I need to take these feelings of conviction and turn them into action!!!

Dearest Alice of Cottage Blessings has another wonderful column in the Long Island Catholic.  It is called Brighter than the Sun.  Be sure to get your tissues ready!!!

Crystal Paine has a new blog called Money Saving Mom.  Her post called “Simple Tips for Living on Little” is very insightful and inspiring.  Through her course, Supermarket Savings, I have made great strides in reducing my grocery budget.  I had a budget of $180 a week to feed our family of six.  This sounds like a lot but we were spending much more than that!!!  We were constantly digging ourselves out of a hole.  For the last 12 weeks, I have been spending $120 a week and I have been paying $60 a week down as a principal only payment on my mortgage.  So believe it or not, this $17.97 course has saved me $720 (really more due to my overspending) in 12 weeks.  I am so impressed with this course that I have signed on to her affiliate program.  So if you are interested in the course, please click the link above or on my sidebar.  I hope it will bless you as much as it has me!!!

P.S. I should tell you that Crystal feeds her family of 4 on $35/week!!! I don’t think I’ll every reach that level but I do plan to go to $100 a week after the first of the year…

I’m glad you have found your way to our new blog site.  Please consider bookmarking our new URL as the old one will only be up for about a month.  We are very excited about this move although my husband says that Wordpress “isn’t for mere mortals”.  He’s been diligently working on making my new blog look like my old blog.  Please contact me or leave a comment if you find anything that isn’t working properly - links, pictures, etc.  It would be a big help!!!  HEY, I LOVE COMMENTS - SO LEAVE ME A COMMENT JUST TO LET ME KNOW THAT YOU’VE FOUND MY NEW BLOG SITE!!!

Well I dusted off my sewing machine which has seen little more than mending lately. And boy, did I have fun with this cute skirt that I made for Lily. I read about it on Michele Quigley’s sewing forum called “On Pins & Needles”. The tutorial on Grand Revival made it quite easy although I had to adjust the measurements for my daughter as she is a size 7 and not a size 5-6. Also I added a few inches to make the skirt a bit longer for modesty. I made it out of some fun fabric I had around that I had used for a lap quilt for Lily a couple of Christmases ago. It’s not our usual fabric selection but I think it is a cute skirt nonetheless.