It's Been Awhile...

I just recently realized how long it's been since I posted about the happenings of my life. Probably because the happenings of my life haven't been all that exciting lately, but I will at least attempt to give you a few details of my rather bland existence.

School has been going pretty well. I'm enjoying all of my classes, however, I'm once again struggling in science this semester. I'm taking Biology, which is a subject I love, but for whatever reason I'm having a hard time getting good grades. US History II is by far my favorite class. This semester is pretty much focused on 20th century history, which is very interesting. My instructor LOVES history, therefore the class is jammed packed with all sorts of historical facts. It's not exactly taught in the most traditional way, but I've learned more in that class than in any of my other history classes. My other classes are also going well, nothing extremely out of the ordinary happening in them.

Work is not going as well as I was hoping it would be. I'm working 2 jobs, but I'm simply not getting enough hours/money to make ends meet. So I'm in the hunt for another job. I had a really good interview at a trucking warehouse on Friday, I'm supposed to hear back from them this week, and I have an interview set up tomorrow at a place that manufactures ammunition for police officers. I had a phone interview today, and pretty much the guy said that when I come in tomorrow to fill out the application, and meet them, if they like me and I like them then it's a deal and I can start ASAP. It has really good pay, and I could get a raise in 90 days! If I can get both jobs then I'll quit my other 2 jobs, but if I can only get one or the other, then I'm going to have to keep my other 2 jobs. So pretty much I'll be working either 2 or 3 jobs through out the rest of the semester. Oh the joy! Either way it's looking more and more like I'll be staying down here in the Louisville area for the summer. I really want to go home, but it's better to stay down here where I have work versus going home where I have none. I'm hoping to be able to go home for a vacation at some point, but if any of you guys so desire to come down here and visit me, I won't be complaining! (hint, hint)

Next on the list: social life, or rather a lack of social life. Pretty much since I started working 2 jobs I haven't had as much of a social life, mainly because I work Friday nights and all day on Saturday. I've managed to hit up a few college and high school basketball games, which have been quite delightful, and I did get to watch the Super Bowl, even though my beloved Colt's lost. But other than that, chillaxin with the girls has been pretty much non-existent.

In family news I'm going home for a visit in 11 days! THAT is exciting! I haven't been home since Christmas break, and I'm ready to get away from school and be home. Daddy is turning 50 on March 6 (Shhh...don't tell him I said anything) so we are gonna have a little birthday party for him. Really, it's nothing exciting, just a family affair, but it's still gonna be nice to be able to celebrate it with him - even if it is a few days late. Also, Kyle is on Spring break, so he's coming out for the weekend. It will be a blast, and I'm sure it will be WAY too short!

In family ministry news, Samuel is getting on a plane tomorrow to fly to Florida. He is going to Missionary Flights International in Fort Pierce. He'll be spending time learning all sorts of missionary aviation stuff from them, as well as going to Haiti for a few days! Please pray for his safety, and that the Lord will use this in his life to draw Samuel closer to Him. Also, pray for mom as she will have to put him on the plane from Detroit to FL all by himself! ;)
Next weekend my parents are going to Illinois for some Reformers Unanimous training. They are hoping that this will give them more insight to the jail ministry, and working with people who have some pretty heavy addictions.

So that's been my life lately. Hopefully soon I will be posting about what the Lord has personally been doing in my life. It's been pretty rough, but through it all He has taught me a lot and is continuing the lessons.

My Life

I just realized that I haven't written a post about the happenings in my life in a LONG time! So I decided to do so now. I know that most of you already know everything, but maybe not everyone, or everything.
This semester is beginning to wind down, THANKFULLY! We have less than a week in a half before Thanksgiving break, and following break we have about one in a half weeks of school, including finals before we are completely done!! YAY!
Classes have been going well. I'm still struggling with the science class, but my grades are getting better in that, which is good. Please keep praying.
My internship at the Christian school has been interesting to say the least. Mrs. Whitaker, the original teacher resigned, and so for a long time all that the class had was substitute teachers. It was kinda interesting. Now they have a new teacher, Miss Snider, and she's VERY hard to intern for. She has me teaching a 4th grade history lesson, and a 3rd grade science lesson every week. I really like teaching, but it's a lot of work to add to the work that I already have to do!
I enjoy my job for the most part, although I'm not getting nearly enough hours. Only about 8 hours a week, and that's not nearly enough to get me through. I had started to look for another job, but I decided to wait until next semester, because I'm not sure if any other job will let me take Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks off and I REALLY need those breaks!
Of course the most important thing right now is Jason! ;) He has been deployed for quite awhile, but thankfully his deployment ends THIS WEEK!!! I'm SOOOOOO excited! It seems like he's been deployed FOREVER! On top of that in 23 days (I think) he's flying back to the US, and in 27 days we will FINALLY get to meet!!! I CAN'T WAIT! He is coming down here to Shawnee December 12 and 13 to spend the weekend. School gets out either the 16th or 17th and Jason is coming to my house on the 17th through the 22nd, and then we are going to his house the 22nd through the 27th when he has to go back to Japan. I'm sure it will be an AMAZING time!
Anyway, that's a brief summary of my life right now...sorry it's been so long since I last updated all of you and I will try to do it more often in the future.

Homemaking Tips

Part of the requirements for my Christian Womanhood class was to come up with 50 homemaking tips. We were allowed to use outside sources as well, as use ideas of our own or that we had learned from our mom's or others. So I thought I'd share them with all of you!

1. To clean off the oven window, make a paste of baking soda and water. Rub onto the window and let sit for about 15 minutes. Wipe clean with a paper towel and clear water.
2. Silver that has dulled can be shined up again by rubbing a potato dipped in baking soda. Or when you boil potatoes, save the water to soak your silver in. (http://www.jelleyjar.com/life/homemaking.html)
3. Add 3 teaspoons of Epsom salts to wash water to prevent colored fabrics from fading and to help keep the colors from running.
4. Once a month flush some yogurt into your septic system to prevent buildup.
5. If your glasses are cloudy, fill them with water and a few drops of ammonia. Let them soak for an hour then rinse them thoroughly with hot water.
6. Make lists. When you have a lot of things to do and remember you're bound to forget something. Make lists and attach them to the fridge or to a cork board, anywhere that you'll be likely to notice them.
7. Do dishes while cooking – it makes the clean up process so much easier and it’s more efficient
8. Use Windex and a tooth brush to clean wrist watch bands
9. Don’t go grocery shopping while you’re hungry
10. Always make a shopping list – this keeps you from making extra unnecessary trips to the store to get things you forgot and it also helps to keep from making impulse purchases
11. Use coupons.
12. Compare store circulars.
13. Garages sales are great ways to get rid of unwanted junk and to make some extra money.
14. Keep an extra loaf of bread in the freezer just in case you run out when you’re least expecting it.
15. Shop at scratch and dent stores – the food or other items are usually fine, and they are priced a LOT cheaper than if they are bought at a retail store.
16. Make leftovers into other things
17. Use pine bark chips for mulch for flower beds
18. Use vinegar as a weed killer.
19. Rub shaving cream into the bathroom mirror and keep rubbing until the mirror is shiny – this will keep the mirror from fogging.
20. Shop at Goodwill’s, Salvation Army’s, and other thrift stores.
21. Use Windex to get stains out of the carpet
22. Sprinkle fresh coffee grounds on carpet that has an odor right before going to bed, in the morning vacuum it up and the smell should be gone – don’t try on light colored carpet!
23. Put a paper towel in the sink and peel potatoes over that, when done simply pick up the paper towel and throw it away, this saves in bending over the trash can and hurting your back.
24. Keep an emergency kit handy at all times to prevent stress when you have a mishap.
25. Put oil on the bottom of ice cube trays to keep them from sticking to each other.
26. For a good night of sleep drink milk with honey right before bed – both milk and honey are good laxatives.
27. To get rid of ants sprinkle baby powder where the ants are coming from – baby powder has talcum in it which is a natural any repellent
28. Mix together some baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice until the mixture reaches a pasty consistency. Rub this paste vigorously on the surface of the coin.If the dirt is stubborn and still stuck on the coin, get half a cup of vinegar and pour it in an aluminum-lined bowl. Soak the coin in the vinegar overnight. The next day, repeat the process of rubbing the paste on the coin. This time, it would be much easier to remove the dirt as it had already been softened when the coin was soaked in vinegar.
29. To get the scaley stuff out of a kettle mix equal parts of water and vinegar. Heat up the mixture and let it boil for a few minutes. Pour the mixture inside the kettle and let it stand overnight. The following day, pour out the mixture and rinse the kettle thoroughly.
30. Take a piece of banana skin and use it to clean your teeth in a circular motion. Do this everyday and within two weeks you should see a clear improvement in the color of your teeth.
31. Keep club soda on hand to clean up spills on carpet and clothing. Club soda will remove red wine, coffee, tea, pop (yes even red pop!) Kool-Aid™ and many other spills you can think of. Lift any solids carefully off carpet or clothes and then pour on the club soda, blotting with a white rag until all the color from the spill is removed. Blot carpet easily by folding a rag and standing on it, turning the rag as it absorbs moisture and discoloration from the spill. The carbonation in the club soda brings the offending spill to the surface so you can blot it up
32. Heat white vinegar until it is hot, but not too hot to pour into a spray bottle and work with. Spray it on the shower and tub heavily. Wait 10-15 minutes and then moisten a scrubbing-type sponge with more of the vinegar and scrub down the shower, using additional heated vinegar as necessary. Rinse well and dry.
33. If you don’t have a cleaning closet, here’s an idea: hang an over-the-door shoe bag with clear plastic pockets behind your garage or laundry-room door, and use it for storing cleaning supplies.
34. Use felt pads on wood floors under heavy furniture to protect floors from dents and gouges, and when moving heavy furniture, lift - don't slide - the piece to avoid scratching the wood.
35. Dust cloth lampshades with a lint roller.
36. To clean a microwave bring a cup of water to boil in the microwave, the steam will help loosen dried on particles making them easily wiped away.
37. Use baking soda to wipe down the inside of the refrigerator. It scrubs and eliminates odors without damaging surfaces.
38. Washing dishes can be a great time to have a parent interview with a child you need to reconnect with. The job may not go more quickly, but you'll be accomplishing a lot more than clean dishes
39. Every three months (once a season), pour a mix of ¼ cup ammonia and 1 quart boiling water — per drain — into your bathroom and kitchen drains to dissolve grease and loosen clumps before they become a problem. This mixture doesn’t work on drains that are already clogged — it’s only intended to prevent clogged drains.
40. If you have a tough time removing pet smells from your living room furniture, place dryer sheets inside an envelope and tuck them under the cushions. When you and your guests sit down, the air from the cushions mixes with the smell of the dryer sheet.
41. After cleaning your bathroom tiles, apply a coat of car wax — it will help water and stains run off so you’ll have to clean them less often.
42. If you’re out of silver cleaner and need to touch up a tarnished spot quickly, rub it with toothpaste. It will shine.
43. To absorb odors from your kitchen trash, leave a couple of used fabric softener sheets in the bottom of the kitchen trash can.
44. To clean your tea kettle fill it with a cup each of apple cider vinegar and water and boil for five minutes. Repeat if necessary.
45. To make a small room look larger the use mirrors is very effective, possibly ceiling to floor on a wall, or framed mirrors hung in important places and with groupings.
46. Mushrooms should be wiped off with a damp cloth and not washed under the faucet since they are like sponges and will absorb the water.
47. To prevent sticking, brush or spray a light coating of oil on grid.
48. To substitute honey for sugar in recipes, start by substituting
up to half of the sugar called for. With a little experimentation,
honey can replace all the sugar in some recipes.
49. Do not use dried herbs in the same quantity as fresh. In most cases, use 1/3 the amount in dried as is called for fresh.
50. Cool leftovers as quickly as possible. Reheat to 165® F before serving again.



http://www.jelleyjar.com/life/homemaking.html
http://www.the-hip-homemaker.com/
http://www.homemakerstips.com/
http://www.mommymakeitbetter.com/
http://www.housekeepingchannel.com
http://housekeeping.about.com/
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/22028936/
http://www.decoratorsecrets.com/
http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/tips.htm

"Homemaking"

When posed with the question about my philosophy of homemaking, I really had to stop and think about it, and to be quite honest, I’m still not totally sure if I know exactly what I think about this topic. However, I am going to attempt to do my best to put my thoughts into words. I’ve heard many people claim that a woman’s place is in the home, some believe that a woman is to do nothing but be at home, cooking, cleaning and taking care of her children. Others believe that it is okay for a woman to work outside the home before children come into the family, but after children come then she should stay at home with them. Still others think that it is all right for a woman to work outside the home during all stages of life and children. So the question remains, which is choice is the right one? Is there a standard in the Bible that tells us one way or another, or is it just a matter of preference on the part of each couple?

My mom was what could technically be called a “stay-at-home-mom,” but at the same time she volunteered at a full-time level as my church’s secretary. We would leave my home for the office around nine o’clock every morning and not get home until two-thirty, or three o’clock in the afternoon. Even though my mom was not at home during the day, she still homeschooled me from kindergarten through the twelfth grade, and she is still homeschooling my brother! I must admit that there were times that I hated being homeschooled, and sharing that time with ministry work, but now as I look back, I see that I was able to learn many valuable lessons through seeing Mom work in ministry every day, and also I learned a lot of valuable office skills at an early age. I learned that it is possible to balance a ministry and a home life at the same time.

I know other women who stay at home all the time to raise their children. Many of them believe firmly that women are “To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home…” (Titus 2:5). They believe that it is the man’s responsibility to go out and work and it is for the woman to be at home raising and training their children. But on the other hand there are families who have children and both the mom and dad work. I could not find any verses in the Bible that say that it is a sin for a woman to work outside the home, in fact there is evidence that it is okay for a woman to work in the Bible, “She maketh fine linen and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.” (Proverbs 31:24).

In conclusion, I firmly believe that the matter of homemaking is up to each and every couple to decide for themselves. Their family should be considered, and what works best for everyone. If the woman is working simply so that they can live “beyond their means” then I believe that is a wrong motivation, especially if it is at the expense of her children. I believe that the children should come first in this decision. “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6).