I recently went to the grocery store to buy veggies for a Mediterranean Golosh and as I picked up the squash, eggplant and peppers, I began reminiscing about the great times we had volunteering at our local nursery.  

In the next few weeks, I really want to start sowing our heirloom seeds so we can look forward to another great harvest.  I think it would be pretty depressing if don't take advantage of gardening and have to settle for the produce picked early and driven over hundreds of miles. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for the market, yet I know there is MUCH I can do to prepare for harvest time.

Here's an oldie but goodie about overall conservation and health (the video includes local foods).
TRAILER "No Impact Man" (The full documentary can be found on Netflix or YouTube)
A FE W LINKS  for Reference:http://noimpactproject.org/ http://noimpactman.typepad.com/ MY NOTES FROM THE MOVIE (Original can be found under the Resource Tab)http://www.joyfuljunction.com/uploads/2/6/3/1/2631046/no_impact_man_notes.pdf  
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Once again, I had the revelation that I'm officially a parent of a teenager...WOW!

In hopes of teaching our children financial responsibility, I've set some simple goals for them to learn.  Recently, I took our teenager to set up a new bank account since we closed his old savings account.  I  was surprised to learn that he was eligible for a highschool checking account, which includes an ATM card.  

Now for some, this may sound premature, however our son has demonstrated great financial responsibility.  Therefore, I have no reservation about him starting to manage his finances in a bank account.  

Last year, when he turned a teenager, we gave him his own personal safe and a few pieces of silver.  Now,  he's ready to maintain his accounts and check online banking.  It was so special to see the banker take time and show him how to use the bank register.  She took extra time to even show him how to reconcile his account.  Now this was definately a lasting impression for him.  I could have done this at some point, but to have a personal banker patiently explain and demonstrate this task was pretty impactive.

For those with growing children, consider simple ways you can prepare them for their future.  Each family & each child is different, so I will not try to present many examples here, but I can share ways our family is preparing. I hope this may inspire you to ponder and implement some ideas.  For example,  I've previously blogged about hope chests for girls, and now I've been asked by my daughter about planning a Bat Mitzvah ( http://www.jewfaq.org/barmitz.htm  )  I'm not  100% sure if we will do this practice, yet it is important that we redeem this time to  plan for their future.
May Abba Yah lead and direct you in the adventure of parenting.

Gotta Plan?

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I confess that I've haven't mastered the art of homekeeping, however, over the years I have developed a heart to serve joyfully within our home. 

I was recently asked if I was always domestic, so here's my video response to this question:
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Last week, I set out to make my residence in Idaho official by applying for my driver's license.  I studied the driver's manual for several hours and set out at 7am to get the process going.

As I presented my proof of citizenship and residency, it came time to take the photograph (which is something that occurs before the test.)  I was politely asked to remove my glasses and my headcovering (?)....I explained that I've been wearing my headcovering for religous purposes for over 3 years.  The lady proceeded to ask management how to handle the situation, then they made a few calls and told me that it is their policy.  I explained that when I read the manual it stated that exceptions could be made for medical or religous reasons.


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After a bit more discussion, I was then told that I needed a letter from my synagouge because this exemption was only to be used at their discretion .  I maintained my "shalom" and asked if I could request for that information to be clearly included in their manual and online site.  If I had known about this potential delay, I could have easily had a letter prepared and avoided an additional trip to fulfill my mission. 


Ultimately, the situation provided an opportunity to be a witness to some of the clerks.  I was asked a bit about our faith and one lady inquired about what the Hebrew writing said at the bottom of the letter .

Later in the day, another sister from our fellowship was planning to get her id card and she used the same letter to maintain her conviction about headcoverings.  When she went to the Department of Transportation, the manager remembered me as being very nice (versus being confrontational and upset.)  This was a good witness, considering how inconvienent it was to make an additional trip and delay the process.  I kept my shalom and really wasn't angered by the situation.  

Ultimately, you never know just how impactive your responses can be to others. The impression you leave with people just may shape their perception of others with similar convictions...Just a little thought to ponder, and perhaps it's needful to repent about your unseemly reactions in the past (?)
headcovering_exemption.pdf
File Size: 252 kb
File Type: pdf
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Wise & Simple 12/27/2011
 
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I was recently thinking about my maternal grandmothers financial wisdom.  She had purposeful budgeting by having a collection of banks that she would regularly deposit money into for a specific goal.  Whether for depositing into an account or investing in a large purchase, my grandmother was very wise in her saving techniques.  Her method is very similar to the Envelop System
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/moneymanagement/ht/Envelope_System.htm 

I can clearly remember one of my grandmother's most commonly used phrases: "delayed gratification".  

Since we live in such an impulsive, on-demand culture, it would be worth considering ways to save and invest your hard earned resource. Any thoughts?
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BEWARE!! 12/04/2011
 
Standing in line after 2 sets of Extreme Couponers at the grocery store:  OBSTACLE OR OPPORTUNITY?

Okay, I know I'm not the only one who has rolled her eyes and let out a huge sigh while awaiting for that couponing diva to go through dozens of coupons while I must bite my lip and endure....Can you relate?  
(No offense "couponwifey," just being honest :) )

Now, I don't intend to be negative (remember this is a site for encouragement.)  On one hand, it appears to waste my valuable time while this couponer takes part in this time consuming experience. OR I could slow down my normal high-paced flow and be a little convicted about ways I too can save my family more money (?)

I do recognize that I AM NOT a natural couponer, YET I know many ways that could potentially save some serious bucks for our family.  Like taking a day to plan, shop and prepare "convienence foods" to be frozen (see picture below)

Earlier this week, I was super duper rushing with a small window  of time to do an enormous amount of shopping.

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I planned a crockpot roast dish and saw that Tyson was so thoughtful & made my shopping a tidbit easier. They've developed all-in-one pack of dinners for those "on-the-go" types (like me.)  

I desperately want to get back into meal planning and cooking from scratch, but in this case, Tyson made things too irresistable.  So I bought the convience pack and later spent less than 10 minutes to put the veggies, roast & seasonings in the slow cooker to begin cooking.

Now, with hopes to save money, I will set a day aside with my girls to do about 5 convienent meals for freezing/refridgerating.  This is similar to the time I experimented with my once a week massive preparation/cooking day.  Whenever I schedule it this time around, I want to chop up fruit to be frozen for quick morning smoothies and probably make some enchiladas and a vegetable rice dish.

So, the moral of the story is that those early morning couponers did frustrate me at first, but I turned that obstacle into an opportunity.

What about you...How do you view couponers?
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Gratitude 12/04/2011
 
I'm so grateful that I married a manly, man!

In the past 2 weeks he fixed the sink, installed a new garbage disposal and repaired the washing machine.  It warms my heart that he handles these needful things. 

I do understand that not all men are wired the same.  There have been women that have confessed their frustration with the personality of their husband which has created a heart of bitterness and sometimes envy. Rather than criticize and be discontent, consider showing your gratitude for the many gifts your husband does possess?   (Just a thought to consider)
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This was our recent "date outing".----->
We spent time together while he went to construction appointments.....sweet & simple :)
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Here's an old post about this topic:
http://www.joyfuljunction.com/1/post/2011/05/who-can-find.html
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Our family recently watched the movie, "Ingredients", on Netflix and it opened my eyes, (yet again), to many truths about our food source.

There were many highlights for me in this film, but what stood out most was when the farmer talked about the mixture of cows in ground beef.  Hundreds, if not thousands, of different cows make up a typical package of ground beef.  What if one is sick?  Not only that, but the mixing of so many different animals just doesn't seem natural. 

This simple realization helps me to be very grateful that Marlon is investing in a few cows to bring to the farm at some point.  This will give us a better understanding of how our cow was raised and slaughtered.

Any meat insights to share(?)
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Justified 09/28/2011
 
Brace yourself, I have a little confession....

I was cleaning our closet and discovered something that was lost, but now found.....CANDY!

Candy is one of my weaknesses, so I was excited about enjoying this little unexpected treat.  As I tore into the wrapper of the candy, I suddenly remembered....this candy didn't belong to me.  It was set aside by one of the children and I was just about to sin by stealing what didn't belong to me. 

Now, technically it could be argued that what belongs to my children also belongs to me as long as they are under our roof. However, I was about to partake in taking something that someone else set aside (even if they misplaced it), without permission. 

This liitle experience got me thinking about how many allowances I've made in order to justfiy sin.  And although this example may seem simple, I was still about to break the instructions of the Most High which is indeed sinful and wicked.

May we all remain humble and pray for a pure heart & clean hands.
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Drastic Measures 09/28/2011
 
Okay, here's another wake up call.    One of our business accounts was just hit with two ATM charges in Milano (?).  The last time I checked, I haven't been to Italy in the past, hmmmmm....NEVER.  So why was our atm card hit with an international charge when I haven't even been outside of the US in 17 years?

LESSON LEARNED:
Be aware, bank fraud is more common than you think. Think wisely and prepare now :)
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