Coloring Books

After

Before

I have a confession to make. I am a bookaholic. I have too many books. The books pictured on these shelves are just about one third of all of the books we own. Some of our books are on another book shelf. Some of our other books are in boxes in the garage, and have not seen the light of day since we moved in a year ago. The books that are pictured are the books that I read or use most often. Most of these are cookbooks. ( My obsession with cookbooks and meal planning is a post for another day.)

Recently I was reading an online article. The site was one focused on home decor. It may have originated with Martha Stewart. This article that I read suggested an interesting way to arrange your books on your bookshelves. The writer of the article suggested arranging your books by their color. I had always arranged my books by their subject or purpose. The way books are organized in a library. I was sort of dumbfounded by this new way of looking at books on a shelf. I had never considered this as an option when arranging volumes on a shelf. I had always seen book shelves as totally totalitarian. The article explained that by arranging the books by color it made the arrangement of the books more of a focal point. By arranging your books this way, the books themselves can become a design element and not a design deterrent.

I gave this idea a try as you can see. What do you think of the results?

(At this time, I can't find the link to the article I read. I will post it as soon as I locate it.)

Whole Food Experiment Redux

Have you ever had one of those days, where all the things you had planned on your to do list suddenly changed and you really did not know why. Yesterday was that day for me. All the things I was so passionate about yesterday, took a back seat to time and all the other things that were going on around me. Tommy's expression, in this photo, says it best. Have you ever felt like he looks?

I had all intentions of going to Whole Foods yesterday. In fact, I love the store. I like there 365 organic products, and most of the time, their produce is great. But..and this is a big but..in mid course of cutting out the Whole Food coupons, and making my list of what to buy..I ended up going to.. wait for it..my good buddy Trader Joes.

I apologize for being so fickle, but the truth is most of Trader Joes products rock and ( I still don't know why) are inexplicably cheaper than other stores. I will admit that some of the items they carry are light in volume and their packaging is smaller. In my world it is worth it, when you like organic and your lactose intolerant to be able to get stuff that fits my budget and that I can eat safely.

Before I proceed you must know a few things. There are a few items I don't buy at TJ. I buy my bulk cheese, most canned goods, and most of my meat from other stores. So in honor of my not going to Whole Foods to buy the majority of my groceries this week.. I may end up going there for a few things after all..

I am a woman, and my perogative will change. I will keep tweeking my world until I have the best streamlined food/grocery situation I can have for my family. The only thing I know for sure is that it will keep changing. I wll keep you posted on my journey.
Happy shopping.

Whole Foods Experiment

What am I going to feed my family? That is a question I ask myself often. Many of you are in the same boat. I want to feed my family good, home-made, healthy dishes that they will eat and enjoy. I also want to stay within my budget. I am constantly looking for ways to make this process easier and more streamlined. Since I do enjoy cooking, we eat most of our meals at home.

I am a member of many websites that provide information about deals and sales in various grocery stores throughtout the country. One websited I follow is, www.yourgreenhelper.blogspot.com.
She compiles a list of ideas for feeding your family on a budget without skimping on the quality of the food you bring home to your family.

I am going to conduct a little experiment. I am going to do my biweekly grocery shopping at Whole Foods on Saturday. As most of you know, Whole Foods, even though it is a great place for quality food, is very expensive. I am going to use the sale price list and coupons listed on the website above. I will try to center my meals on the items that are on sale and what I already have in my pantry.
We will see how this works out. I will keep you posted.

Christmas time...revisited.

Time...Time...We never seem to have enough. I seem to always have many things that never get done. I am restless and stressed. Has this become the new normal for those who seek the American dream? It certainly seems that it has become a dream. In light of the fact that it will soon be a brand new year, I thought I could spend some time trying to figure out how to refocus and try to find out what really is important in my life. I often consider the inconsistencies in my life.


I tell everyone that my family is the number one priority..but do my actions really show that?


I tell everyone I love to write, but do I blog enough to improve my writing skills?


I make it clear that my faith is important, but from the outside looking in, is my life any different than those with no faith at all?







The portion above is the beginning of a blog I wrote before Christmas. I was feeling really discouraged. I was overwhelmed by the fact that we would not see our family over the holiday, and what it was going to "feel" like not to be in Georgia during Christmas. I was also struggling with the fact that so many around us have nothing, yet we complain or feel guilty when we don't feel like we have enough toys for our kids to open on Christmas morning. It is strange considering that in my life, I complain more about their toys being all scattered around the house than anything else.



Do we ever think of our children's spiritual well being?



Do we ever consider what makes the holidays truly significant?



As a person of faith, it is hard to reconcile many of the things we hear and read in the Bible with our daily lives in the USA. We should all consider what we are willing to do with these truths. For me it always leads back to all the "things" that I have around me in my home. I have so many items, objects, and collections around that it is hard to find a clean spot for one more thing. We must ask ourselves what we are willing to do with these things, but most importantly, we should consider what we are willing to live without.



I challenge you this year to ask the hard questions of yourself, and as you seek to provide for your family in all your shopping, cooking, and cleaning. Remember,we work as unto the Lord, not ourselves.

Pizza Muffins

Basically, I love looking at cookbooks. Occasionally, the internet becomes my source of great inspiration and ideas. I am a recipe junkie. I love trying new foods and eating them in unconventional ways. I love Greek food and the Meditteranean style of food preparation. I recently found this recipe at http://www.eatingwell.com

It is a great and simple recipe that is yummy. These can be great little snacks, a fantastic side dish, or even as a go along with a hearty soup..I bet you could even make them into a savory pancake..

They are called Mini Greek Pizza Muffins. Search for them, and many more great healthy recipes, at www.eatingwell.com

Goodbye to a New Friend

This week I will have to say my first good bye since moving here..Jessi a friend of mine who is an incredible mother, blogger, writer, wife, and Christ follower is leaving. She is going to visit her family before God takes her to her final destination as Church Planters in the Northeast..
Here is a link to her Blog..

www.naptimediaries.com

Check it out. Support her and her husband if you can..

Coupons are not for me, (whatever)

Coupons are not for me. This is what I used to think. I actually used to be one of those people who kind of thought that coupons were not worth it...Now I am a believer in using coupons as much as possible. In the last week, I have saved over $90.00 bucks with coupons.

I have one rule that I do go by though, I seldom use a coupon for something that I either do not need or that I do not already usually buy. I do not believe in using them for items that I do not usually buy. I do occasionally use coupons to try new things, but this is not the norm, and if I do use the coupon in this way, it is usually just to try a different brand of a particular item.

These are some of my favorite sites. Check them out, print the coupons, and save money...

http://www.gogrocery.com/

http://www.couponmom.com/

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/

For online coupons:

http://www.couponcabin.com/

http://www.mycoupons.com/

Also each store or manufacturer usually has websites or discount programs that you can print or access. Some stores like QFC, Fred Meyer, and Safeway allow you to download coupons directly to their in store discount card that you may already have in your purse.

I always check out the store websites. Many times you can make grocery lists straight from their weekly sale papers.

My personal strategy:

I usually do a big shopping trip once every two weeks, then I replenish my fresh veggies and fruit weekly. Sometimes I will go back and do a weekly shopping trip..it is really whatever works out best with that months pay schedule. It is always a work in progress. I try to be flexible and stick with what is working. I plan out the lunches and dinners for two weeks. I try to include unforeseen things that might come up in this process. So some days have more than one choice for that particular day. I sign up for every discount card and plan that I can especially if it is a store that I go to frequently.

There are a million websites out there for coupons and meal planning. I will continue to share with you the ones that I think are the best. Saving money is fun. Happy shopping.